On 4th June 2020, for the cooperation in the Field of Space Situational Awareness(SSA) and Astrophysic, The Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO), Bengaluru signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Aryabhatta Research institute of Observational Science(ARIES),Nainital. R.Umamaheswaran, Scientific Secretary of ISRO from ISRO headquarters and Prof. Dipankar Banerjee, Director of ARIES from ARIES headquarters signed the MoU on the virtual platform.
Important aspects of SSA & Management:
- Space Object orbital tracking
- Space Object orbital analysis
- Space Weather studies
Objective
- To protect the Indian Space assets from the space debris’s conjunction threats.
- R&D of Astrophysics, solar sciences and space environment are the base for future space exploration projects and the key to progress in the Indian Space sector.
Key Points:
i.This MoU will allow the collaboration between ISRO and ARIES in the future such as, Establishing optical telescope observation facilities for space object tracking Studies on Space Weather, Astrophysics and Near Earth Objects (NEO).
ii.Similar MoU between ISRO and University of Texas, Austin, USA was signed on 5th March 2020 for Scientific Collaboration in the area of Space Situational Awareness(SSA)”.
Key People from ISRO:
Dr.A.K Anilkumar, Director of Directorate of Space Situational Awareness and Management(DSSAM), Dr.P.Sreekumar, Satish Dhawan Professor, ISRO,Deva Arul Daniel, Associate Director of DSSAM, Bulbul Mukherjee, Associate Director of DSSAM,V.Girish Deputy Director of Space Science Programme Office(SSPO) and C.V.S.S Sowmitra, Deputy Programme Manager of DSSAM.
Key people From ARIES: Chairs and Co-chairs of Aries, Dr.Brijesh Kumar, Dr.Amitesh Omar, Dr.Kuntal Misra, Dr.Manish Naja, Dr.T.S. Kumar and Dr.Santosh Joshi
About ISRO:
Chairman– Dr. K. Sivan
Formed– 1969
About ARIES:
The observatory was established on 20th April 1954 and reincarnated as Aryabhatta Research institute of Observational Science(ARIES) 22nd March 2004.
Located– Nainital
