Assam is getting a new space surveillance facility. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma laid the foundation stone for the Indian Space Research Organisation’s
(ISRO) Advanced Radar Research Centre at Chandrapur, near Guwahati, on September 21, 2026. The facility, being developed by ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), will help India monitor objects orbiting Earth and identify potential threats to its satellites. It is the first facility of its kind in the Northeast.
The centre will form part of Project NETRA, India’s programme to build its own space monitoring network. Announcing the project on X, Sarma said, “As part of Project NETRA, this facility will strengthen India’s ability to track objects in space and protect our vital space assets.” The project comes as growing numbers of satellites and pieces of debris make monitoring Earth’s orbit increasingly important.
A Landmark moment for Assam.
Today, we will lay the foundation stone of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) ‘s Advanced Radar Research Centre at Chandrapur,Assam. As part of Project NETRA, this facility will strengthen India’s ability to track objects in space and…
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 21, 2026
What is Project NETRA and why does India need it?
NETRA stands for Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis. The programme aims to monitor satellites, discarded rocket parts and space debris orbiting Earth.
Think of it as a traffic monitoring system for space. Radar sends radio waves towards objects and measures the signals that bounce back. By tracking their movements, scientists can estimate where these objects are heading.
This information can help ISRO identify possible collisions and decide whether a satellite needs to change its orbit.
Assam facility will get three radars
ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said a cloud radar is ready for the Chandrapur facility and will be commissioned before the end of February 2027.
“We are ready with a cloud radar for this facility. It will be commissioned before the end of February. Two more important radars will be commissioned in another one and a half years,” Narayanan said, according to Hindustan Times.
The cloud radar will study cloud patterns and support rainfall research. This is a separate scientific function from tracking objects in orbit.
ISRO’s 2025-26 annual report identifies a 67-acre site at Chandrapur. The land transfer agreement was executed in November 2023, and registration was completed on November 7, 2025.
My gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and the @isro leadership for choosing Assam as the destination for this Advanced Radar Research Centre.
This Centre will firmly place Assam’s name in the space research domain. pic.twitter.com/XcKRntGQ6p
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 21, 2026
How will the new centre protect Indian satellites?
The radar will become part of a wider surveillance network that includes an optical telescope facility at Hanle in Ladakh and a central control centre in Bengaluru.
As more satellites enter orbit, tracking debris becomes increasingly necessary. Even a small fragment can damage a spacecraft during a high-speed collision.
The Chandrapur centre will give ISRO another ground-based facility to collect tracking information and strengthen its ability to monitor the space environment.
