As ISTRAC celebrates 50 years of safeguarding India’s space assets, Director A.K. Anil Kumar reveals how the centre is preparing for Gaganyaan, deep space exploration, and an AI-driven future of space operations.
NFAPost, Bengaluru: For five decades, the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) has quietly but decisively guided India’s space ambitions — from the modest beginnings of Aryabhata in 1975 to the upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission. As the organisation marks its golden jubilee, ISTRAC Director A.K. Anil Kumar reflects on its legacy, technological evolution, and ambitious expansion into new frontiers of space surveillance, navigation, and deep-space communications.
“Since 1976, ISTRAC has played a pivotal role in enabling ISRO’s missions—right from early satellite launches to contemporary interplanetary explorations and human spaceflight endeavours,” said Kumar. “We’ve been the invisible backbone ensuring the success, safety, and sustainability of every Indian mission.”
A Legacy Written in Space
Since its inception, ISTRAC has provided 24/7 telemetry, tracking, and command (TTC) support to more than 120 satellites and over 100 launch vehicles. Its secure global network ensures seamless communication from launch to orbit, tracking satellites’ health, position, and performance.
Over the years, ISTRAC’s ground stations have supported India’s landmark missions — including Chandrayaan-1, 2 and 3, the Mars Orbiter Mission, Astrosat, Aditya-L1, and collaborative projects like NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR). The centre is now gearing up for one of India’s most challenging missions yet — Gaganyaan, the nation’s first crewed spaceflight.
Powering India’s Navigation and Safety
Beyond mission control, ISTRAC has been instrumental in developing and maintaining the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) ground segment, operating across 16 locations in India. The system is now being expanded internationally to provide precise navigation, positioning, and timing solutions.
“NavIC has strengthened India’s preparedness — from disseminating early warnings to aiding fishermen and supporting search and rescue operations,” Kumar noted.
As part of Space Situational Awareness (SSA) efforts, ISTRAC developed Launch Vehicle Collision Avoidance Analysis to identify safe launch windows, and routinely conducts conjunction assessments to protect Indian space assets from potential collisions.
Projects such as NETRA (Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis) and IS4OM (ISRO System for Safe and Sustainable Space Operations Management) mark India’s growing leadership in space sustainability. Recent achievements — including the de-orbiting of Cartosat-2 and the controlled re-entry of Megha-Tropiques-1 — demonstrate the agency’s commitment to responsible space operations.
Expanding Horizons: From Earth to Deep Space
Looking ahead, ISTRAC plans to expand both its ground and space-based networks to meet the demands of future missions.
Among the initiatives:
- Ground-Based Space Weather Observation Network:
A coordinated system of radars, magnetometers, ionosondes, and GNSS receivers across India to monitor solar activity and its impact on Earth’s upper atmosphere and magnetosphere. - Deep Space Radar Research:
Development of radar systems to track and study celestial objects — from asteroids and comets to spacecraft in deep space — a key step toward planetary defence and advanced astronomical research. - Optical Ground Stations for Quantum Communication:
Exploring the frontiers of secure communication through quantum key distribution (QKD), alongside future deep ocean and climate-centric missions.
“We’re not just expanding; we’re evolving,” said Kumar. “From high-frequency data links to AI-enabled operations, ISTRAC is preparing for an era of massive constellations, autonomous spacecraft, and human presence in space.”
Next-Gen Networks for Gaganyaan and Beyond
To support upcoming missions, ISTRAC is adding additional and transportable terminals across its global network. Its Deep Space Network will see significant upgrades, including 11-metre multi-band antennas replacing older S-band systems. These will operate in X-band and Ka-band frequencies, allowing for higher data throughput.
The Multi-Satellite Telemetry (MuST) project, soon to be commissioned, will enable simultaneous tracking and data management for multiple satellites — essential for handling large constellations and complex mission profiles.
A new miniaturised portable ground station, measuring just 5.4 metres, is also in development. Mounted on a stabilised dual-axis system, it can be deployed on land or sea to support missions where permanent ground infrastructure is unavailable.
“The future of mission support is flexibility and resilience,” explained Kumar. “Portable systems and multi-band capabilities will ensure uninterrupted connectivity — even in the most challenging environments.”
Towards an AI-Driven Mission Control
ISTRAC is set to embrace automation and artificial intelligence across its mission operations. Indigenous software systems with embedded AI capabilities will soon manage telemetry data, issue predictive alerts, and even automate satellite control sequences.
The centre is also building an end-to-end SSA framework capable of issuing real-time collision alerts — a necessity in the era of mega-constellations and increasing orbital traffic.
“Space sustainability is no longer an option; it’s an imperative,” Kumar emphasized. “Our goal is to make India’s space operations not only autonomous but also intelligent and sustainable.”
The Road to 2047
As India’s space programme accelerates towards its 2047 vision, ISTRAC’s evolving infrastructure — from AI-driven control rooms to quantum-secure communication links — will form the invisible nervous system of the nation’s expanding space ecosystem.
Over the next decade, as Gaganyaan lifts Indian astronauts to orbit and ISRO ventures further into deep space, one constant will remain — the quiet vigilance of ISTRAC, ensuring every mission returns home safely.
“From Aryabhata to Gaganyaan, our journey has been about precision, perseverance, and progress,” Kumar concluded. “ISTRAC will continue to be the heartbeat of India’s space missions — for the next fifty years and beyond.”
