Background: The CRASH (Collision Realization and Significant Harm) Clock recently flagged a heightened risk of collision cascades in Earth's orbit, reviving concerns over the Kessler Syndrome.
Basics:
- Definition: A theory proposed by Donald Kessler (1978) stating that the density of objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) could become so high that a single collision triggers a self-sustaining chain reaction of fragments.
- Mechanism: Each collision creates "space junk," which then strikes other satellites, eventually making certain orbits (like those used for GPS and telecommunications) unusable for centuries.
- India's Response: India's Project NETRA and the SPADEX mission (Space Docking Experiment) are efforts to track debris and develop mitigation technologies.
Significance for UPSC: Relevant for Space Sustainability. It necessitates discussions on Space Traffic Management (STM) and the "Active Debris Removal" (ADR) technologies needed to protect global digital infrastructure.
IAS-2026 - OPTIONAL / GEOGRAPHY / PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / SOCIOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY / ORIENTATION ON 03 & 04-10-2025 
