DRDO-DST MoU: ARIES-IRDE Partnership for Space Situational Awareness

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 13 May 2025, creating a landmark partnership between two premier research institutions for developing India's Space Situational Awareness (SSA) capabilities.

The MoU brings together the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), located in Nainital, Uttarakhand, under DST, and the Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE), based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, under DRDO. Both institutions are geographically proximate in the Himalayan foothills, making operational collaboration practical and efficient.

Space Situational Awareness (SSA) refers to the ability to track, monitor, and predict the movement of objects in Earth's orbit — including operational satellites, defunct spacecraft, rocket bodies, and debris fragments. With thousands of satellites now in orbit and debris proliferating rapidly, SSA has become a critical national security and scientific priority for spacefaring nations.

The ARIES-IRDE partnership will focus on developing ground-based optical and sensor systems to track space debris and monitor satellite positions and trajectories. ARIES brings expertise in observational astronomy and telescope operations, while IRDE contributes its proven capability in precision optical instruments and defence-grade sensor development.

India currently relies significantly on international SSA data for its space operations. This MoU represents a strategic step toward developing indigenous SSA infrastructure, reducing dependence on foreign data sources, and positioning India as a responsible space actor capable of self-monitoring its orbital environment.

The collaboration is particularly timely given India's ambitious space programme — including Gaganyaan crewed missions, multiple commercial satellite launches, and ISRO's expanding deep space exploration plans — all of which require robust SSA support to ensure mission safety and orbital slot protection.