‘A near miss in space’: When ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 avoided Moon collision twice
Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Orbital Shuffle
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) maneuvered Chandrayaan-2 to avoid a lunar collision with Korea’s Danuri spacecraft, hinting at a silent dance of celestial traffic.
Avoidance Mastery
Last year on October 1, ISRO repeated the feat, dodging NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), emphasizing the art of cosmic navigation.
Moon Crossing
Three lunar orbiters—Chandrayaan-2, Danuri, and NASA’s LRO—share polar orbits, creating a precarious yet collaborative sky.
Critical Altitude
The LRO operates elliptically at 50km, Danuri at 100km, while Chandrayaan maps and images the lunar surface at 100km, all scouting for water and ice.
Collaborative Skies
In absence of formal protocols, agencies like ISRO, NASA, and Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) rely on mutual vigilance to avoid collisions.
Cosmic Warnings
KARI, through NASA JPL’s MADCAP reports, tracks daily collision risks, revealing over 40 warnings for Danuri between February 2023 and May 2024.
Fuel Dilemmas
Collision avoidance drains spacecraft fuel, occasionally sparking debates over which agency should execute maneuvers to save payload missions.
Earthly Precaution
Beyond lunar maneuvers, ISRO also averted a near-Earth collision, shifting Cartosat-2A away from a Russian rocket body on September 16.
Celestial Ballet
Every close encounter highlights the precision and collaboration essential in a dance where the stakes are cosmic.