Hyderabad-based Astra Microwave Products Pvt Ltd was a major contributor to the MOTR project
The most advanced Multi Object Tracking Radar (MOTR) installed at Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Shar, Sriharikota. (Photo: DC)
Nellore: The Indian Space Research Organisation is all set to commence the operations of its most-advanced Multi-Object Tracking Radar installed at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Shar, Sriharikota, about 90 km from Nellore. The MOTR was developed with indigenous technology by Isro engineers under the guidance of Shar director Dr M.Y.S. Prasad, associate director V. Seshagiri Rao and MOTR director Dr S.V. Subba Rao in 30 months by spending Rs 245 crore. As many as 100 young engineers, drawn from various centres of Isro, had worked day and night to complete the project within 30 months.
Currently, the Shar depends on six radars to track the launch vehicles. However, it can only track one object, within a distance of 300 to 400 km, in the low Earth orbit. However, with the MOTR, it will be able to track multiple objects located even 800 to 1,000 km away.
The threat of collision of space debris with the launch vehicles and satellites is one of the main reasons for designing the MOTR system. According to Dr Prasad, space debris — also known as orbital debris, space junk or space waste — is the collection of defunct objects in the orbit around Earth. It includes spent rocket stages, old satellites and fragments from disintegration, erosion and collisions.
( Source : dc )
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