A collision was averted on time after Indian satellite came closer to a fellow earth observation satellite from Russian on November 27. The incident happened in the near-earth orbit when the Indian Space Research Organisation’s remote sensing satellite Cartosat-2F came dangerously close to Russia’s earth observation satellite ‘Kanopus V’.
Interestingly space agencies of the two country are different versions of the incident.
Roscosmos, Russia’s state-controlled space agency, said the Indian Satellite came as close as 224 metres to the Russian satellite Kanopus-V before the collision was averted.
“According to the TsNIIMash calculations, the minimum distance between the Russian and foreign satellites were 224 meters. Both spacecraft are designed for Earth’s remote sensing,” Roscosmos said.
However the Indian space agency ISRO said that the Russian satellite was 420 meters away.
ISRO Chief K Sivan acknowledged that Cartosat-2F and Kanopus- V did encounter a close approach, but the two satellites were 420 meters apart from each other.
K Sivan said that ISRO was tracking the satellite for four days, and a manoeuvre will only be done when it comes around 150 meters.
These incidents are not so uncommon in space as there are thousands of satellites orbiting the earth. The general practice is that the two agencies discuss and carry out a manoeuvre.
