In a significant step towards enhancing India's ground-based Space Situational Awareness (SSA), two premier scientific institutions—Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) and the Instruments Research & Development Establishment (IRDE)—have entered into a formal partnership. The collaboration was sealed with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 13 May 2025 at IRDE in Dehradun.

ARIES, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), and IRDE, a key laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), will jointly work on developing technologies and systems to track and analyse objects in space. The MoU was signed by Dr Manish Kumar Naja, Director of ARIES, and Dr Ajay Kumar, Director of IRDE, marking a strategic convergence of expertise in astronomy and defence-oriented electro-optical systems.

Located in Nainital, ARIES is renowned for its work in astronomy, astrophysics, and atmospheric science. It operates some of India’s most advanced observational infrastructure, including the 3.6-metre Devasthal Optical Telescope and the Stratosphere-Troposphere (ST) Radar system. IRDE, based in Dehradun, specialises in developing electro-optical surveillance and imaging systems for use across various military platforms—land, sea, air, and space.

The collaboration will leverage ARIES’s observational capabilities for tracking space objects and contribute to developing advanced electro-optical technologies suited for both astronomical and SSA applications. The scope of cooperation includes co-development of imaging and data analysis tools using artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as training, knowledge exchange, and joint R&D initiatives.

The partnership also reflects a regional synergy, with both institutions based in Uttarakhand. Their proximity is expected to facilitate seamless collaboration, technical integration, and more frequent joint activities.

The alliance represents a major push towards strengthening India’s indigenous capabilities in monitoring space traffic and debris—an increasingly vital domain in the face of growing threats to critical space infrastructure.

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