20 of India's 22 active LEO satellites face higher collision risk: Govt tells Lok Sabha
The Centre informed the Lok Sabha that ISRO carried out nine collision avoidance manoeuvres in 2026, citing the growing threat from space debris in low Earth orbit
New Delhi, Aug 5 (PTI) Twenty of the 22 active Indian satellites in the low earth orbit are at a higher risk of colliding with space objects, Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
In a written reply, Union minister Jitendra Singh also stated that satellites operating in the low earth orbit (less than 2,000 km altitude) are more vulnerable to collision risks due to a denser space object population in the region.
He highlighted that so far in 2026, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) executed nine collision avoidance manoeuvres. In 2025, this number stood at 20.
Collision avoidance manoeuvre is a planned orbital adjustment executed by a satellite operator to prevent a mid-air or in-orbit collision with another object or space debris.
Singh also pointed out that India is an active participant in international cooperation frameworks on space debris management, such as the InterAgency Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), and the United Nations Working Group on Long-Term Sustainability (UN-LTS).
"ISRO has contributed substantially to the revised IADC space debris mitigation guidelines and provided inputs based on technical studies," he said.
As part of its commitment to mitigate space debris, India's intent for the Debris Free Space Mission initiative was announced in 2024, according to Singh.
He added that ISRO aims to achieve the goal of zero debris by all Indian actors, government and private, in the foreseeable future. PTI