PARLIAMENT QUESTION: COLLISION AVOIDANCE MANOEUVRES (CAMs) EXECUTED BY ISRO

India's space programme has entered a critical phase where operational sustainability in orbit is as vital as launch capability. The recent parliamentary disclosure that ISRO executed 20 Collision Avoidance Manoeuvres (CAMs) in 2025 and nine more in 2026 underscores the growing congestion in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), where 20 of India's 22 active satellites operate. This density of space objects — defunct satellites, rocket bodies, and fragmentation debris — poses existential risks to assets worth thousands of crores and critical for communication, navigation, earth observation, and strategic surveillance. The genesis of this challenge traces back to the 1957 Sputnik launch, but the exponential rise in satellite deployments, especially mega-constellations like Starlink, has accelerated collision probabilities. India's response is multi-layered: technical, institutional, and diplomatic. At the technical forefront, the Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis (NETRA) project exemplifies indigenous capability building. The Multi-Object Tracking Radar (MOTR) at Sriharikota already monitors large LEO objects, while the upcoming optical telescope at Hanle, Ladakh — nearing completion — will detect objects as small as 30 cm at Geostationary Orbit (GEO), a significant leap in Space Situational Awareness (SSA). This aligns with the 2024 announcement of the Debris Free Space Mission (DFSM), targeting zero debris from all Indian actors, government and private, in the foreseeable future. Such ambition reflects a maturation from user to responsible steward of outer space. Institutionally, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe), established in 2020 under the Department of Space, has formulated a policy framework addressing the State's liability for third-party damages arising from Indian space objects — currently under consideration. This is crucial under Article VII of the Outer Space Treaty (1967), to which India is a party, which imposes international liability on launching states. Domestically, the Space Activities Bill (draft) and the Indian Space Policy 2023 aim to regulate private participation while ensuring compliance with international obligations under the Liability Convention (1972) and Registration Convention (1976). Diplomatically, India's active engagement in the Inter-Agency Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), UN Working Group on Long-Term Sustainability (UN-LTS), IAA Space Traffic Management WG, and IAF Space Debris WG demonstrates commitment to global governance. ISRO's substantive contributions to the revised IADC mitigation guidelines — based on technical studies — enhance India's normative influence. This is strategic: as space becomes a domain of economic competition and strategic rivalry, shaping rules confers advantage. The significance for India is profound. Economically, protecting space assets safeguards investments in the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, where biomedical and life support systems are under ground testing for validation through upcoming missions. These technologies hold societal spin-off potential — in healthcare, disaster management, and extreme environment operations. Politically, demonstrating responsible space behaviour strengthens India's case for a permanent seat in reformed global governance bodies. Socially, it inspires STEM engagement and national pride. Future implications are transformative. As private players like Skyroot, Agnikul, and Pixxel scale under IN-SPACe authorization, the liability framework must evolve. The DFSM goal of zero debris will require breakthroughs in active debris removal, on-orbit servicing, and end-of-life disposal — areas where ISRO's upcoming missions could pioneer solutions. Moreover, with the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) advancing guidelines on space traffic coordination, India's early investments in SSA and policy position it as a rule-maker, not just rule-taker. In sum, CAMs are not merely orbital corrections — they are signals of a space power embracing its responsibilities in the final frontier.