ARIES, BEL sign MoU to advance space situational awareness for satellite safety

The Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), a Navaratna Defence PSU, to collaborate on the development of Space Situational Awareness (SSA) technologies.

According to the Ministry of Defence, this partnership aims to bolster the tracking of space objects, including near-Earth objects and artificial satellites, ensuring the safety of satellites and their users.

The agreement, signed at BEL’s Ghaziabad Unit, represents a step in advancing India’s technological prowess in space surveillance, aligning with the government’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make-in-India’ initiatives.

The collaboration will focus on predicting and preventing potential collisions between space objects, thereby safeguarding vital space infrastructure.

Space Situational Awareness (SSA) is essential for forecasting, alerting, and preventing potential collisions between space objects. Under the terms of the MoU, ARIES and BEL will use data from ARIES’s advanced telescopes, including the 4m International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT), to support this effort.

The two organisations will collaborate on developing image processing techniques and data analytics software. Additionally, they will work together on creating new instruments and laboratories. To enhance skills in SSA, various training workshops will be organised. ARIES will also contribute its expertise in space weather.

The MoU was signed at BEL’s Ghaziabad Unit by Prof. Dipankar Banerjee, Director of ARIES, and Rashmi Kathuria, GM (SCCS) & Unit Head, with the presence of Dr Brijesh Kumar, Dr TS Kumar, and Dr S. Krishna Prasad from ARIES, alongside senior BEL officers Bhanu Prakash Srivastava, Director (OU), Anoop Kumar Rai, CS (CRL-GAD), and Puneet Jain, AGM (Marketing).