Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma laid the foundation stone for the ISRO ISTRAC Advanced Radar Research Facility in Chandrapur today. The project represents a major expansion of India's space monitoring capabilities. It will operate under the Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis, also known as Project NETRA. ISRO aims to track objects in orbit and protect national satellites from collision.
The agency secured 67 acres for the site. Land transfer occurred in November 2023, followed by final registration on November 7, 2025. This area comprises nearly 200 bighas. The facility will combine radar systems with optical telescopes and a centralized control center. Bengaluru has hosted the primary ISRO SSA Control Centre since 2020. That hub manages orbit determination, collision alerts, and monitoring of re-entering rocket bodies.
Sarma celebrated the facility as a shift in the state's trajectory. During the ceremony, he stated, "Today, we will lay the foundation stone of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s Advanced Radar Research Centre at Chandrapur, Assam." The Chief Minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for selecting the region for this strategic asset. He noted that the state is moving away from past unrest to build new scientific infrastructure. This installation puts Assam directly into the national space research network.
Updated at 21st September 2026 at 10:05pm
Sarma linked the new radar hub to a broader industrial push in the state, pointing to incoming investments in semiconductors, food manufacturing, healthcare, and coach overhauling. He framed the project as a total break from the decades of civil unrest, strikes, and militant activity that previously plagued the region.
The state is also launching a small space center in partnership with IIT to train students in space technology. Meanwhile, officials confirmed the ASSAMSAT project is moving forward, aiming to provide real-time data on weather, rainfall, and forest cover to help with local resource management.
Comments