The ISRO is planning to protect its space assets from the space debris by using them for experiments.
The ISRO(Indian Space Research Organization) is well known for its cheap & cost-effective satellite launches. ISRO became popular after launching 104 satellites on a single rocket using PSLV-C37 breaking the previous record of 37 satellites on a single rocket made by Russia with their Dnepr rocket.
When we talk about satellites launches, it may look a simple process where a rocket takes off, gets separated into stages and then the satellite is set in an orbit. But it’s more than we think, there are few challenges faced by the space organizations now days. One of the biggest challenges is to deal with the space debris.
Space debris is the collection of defunct man made waste, junk or trash like dead rockets, old satellites, spent rocket stages and the fragments generated from their collision orbiting the planet. Space debris is a headache for space organizations as they can be very dangerous for the satellites actively orbiting our planet. A slight collision with a debri can cause the destruction of that satellite. The whole process of creating and launching a satellite into space takes lots of efforts, time and money and this is why the space organizations cannot risk their satellites.
ISRO is all set for its first man mission into the space by 2022 named “Gaganyan”. Also, ISRO has scheduled to launch one satellite per month i.e. 12 satellites in a year.
What plans are ISRO making to deal with debris?
Surprisingly, ISRO has generated a new idea of using the dead rockets for space experiments. They’re developing a technology by which they can use the last stage of their PSLV(Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) for space experiments.
“Now, we are working on a new technology where we will give life to this “dead” stage of PSLV, also called PS4 stage, for six months after its launch,” K Sivan, Chairman of ISRO told Times Of India. Also he added, “This rocket stage will double up as a satellite. This will be the most cost-effective way to perform experiments in space as we don’t have to launch a separate rocket for the purpose.”