The term NETRA is ambiguous, referring to both an ISRO initiative and a DRDO-developed Airborne Early Warning & Control System (AEW&CS) aircraft used by the Indian Air Force. Project NETRA (Network for space object TRacking and Analysis) is an indigenous Space Situational Awareness (SSA) initiative by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
This concept was formally sanctioned in 2019 with an initial outlay of ₹400 crore. The project was created to solve the problem of India's reliance on foreign sources, such as the United States Space Command, for data to track orbital debris that could endanger its fleet of over 50 operational satellites.
Project NETRA works by integrating a network of ground-based observational facilities. The mechanism includes phased-array radars, such as the Multi-Object Tracking Radar (MOTR) at Sriharikota, and an optical telescope network at high-altitude observatories like Ponmudi, Mount Abu, and Leh. All data is fused and managed at the dedicated SSA Control Centre at ISTRAC, Bengaluru, which was inaugurated in 2020. This system can spot and track objects as small as 10 cm up to a range of 3,400 km and aims to capture the Geostationary Orbit (GEO) scene at 36,000 km.
The project connects directly to the broader concept of Space Situational Awareness (SSA), which is crucial for collision avoidance and national security. It also makes India a part of international efforts to mitigate space debris. In terms of recent changes, ISRO released its first Indian Space Situational Assessment Report (ISSAR) compiled using NETRA data in 2024, and construction began in 2025 on India's first dedicated debris-tracking phased-array radar at Chandrapur, Assam.