The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is establishing an advanced radar facility at Chandrapur near Guwahati, Assam, as part of efforts to expand India’s indigenous space surveillance and tracking capabilities.
A 67-acre site has been identified for the facility, which is being developed under ISRO’s Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis (NETRA) programme. ISRO’s 2025-26 annual report confirms that the land transfer was completed in November 2023, with final registration completed in November 2025.
The radar facility will contribute to Space Situational Awareness by enabling the tracking and monitoring of objects in orbit, including space debris. ISRO has identified radar and optical telescopes as key ground-based systems for obtaining accurate orbital information and supporting collision-risk assessment for operational space assets.
The Chandrapur facility is also being developed as a broader radar research platform. ISRO said the ISTRAC Advanced Radar Research Facility will support research in radar technologies, ionospheric and atmospheric science, weather monitoring, cloud studies and space weather.
The facility is expected to have applications beyond space surveillance, including flash-flood and urban-flood warnings, thunderstorm and lightning nowcasting, aviation safety and agricultural advisories. Additional radars may also be established at the site subject to government approvals.
The project is being overseen by the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), which is responsible for ground-segment activities supporting ISRO missions and also has capabilities in weather-radar development.
The Chandrapur radar will form part of India’s growing network of space-object observation infrastructure under Project NETRA. ISRO has been expanding this network through radar and optical telescope facilities to improve independent monitoring of the space environment and strengthen the protection of Indian space assets.