Chandrayaan-2 Lunar Orbiter Avoided Collision With Danuri Spacecraft in September, Reveals ISRO

India’s Chandrayaan-2 lunar orbiter carried out a manoeuvre in September to stop a detailed encounter with the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), formally referred to as Danuri, in keeping with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The adjustment carried out on September 19, 2024, was essential to keep away from a possible collision between the 2 orbiters, which was projected for 2 weeks later if no adjustments had been made to Chandrayaan-2’s trajectory.

Following this, on October 1, 2024, one other orbital modification was applied to keep up separation from different lunar orbiters, together with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), as per an ISRO report.

Frequent Collision Risks Among Lunar Orbiters

Around the lunar poles, orbiters equivalent to Chandrayaan-2, Danuri, and LRO share the same near-polar path, growing the chance of shut approaches. Over the previous 18 months, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), which operates Danuri, reported having obtained over 40 collision alerts for interactions amongst Danuri, Chandrayaan-2, and LRO. These alerts, known as “purple alarms,” underscore the rising threat of unintended collisions as a number of worldwide companies function missions in shut proximity across the Moon.

Previously, in 2021, Chandrayaan-2 reportedly averted the same scenario by shifting its path, stopping a detailed go by LRO that might have introduced the 2 inside simply three kilometres. Danuri itself has carried out at the very least three orbital changes because it entered lunar orbit in December 2022, together with avoiding each LRO and Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM).

Lack of Unified Collision Protocols in Lunar Operations

At current, no globally coordinated protocol exists for managing collision dangers across the Moon. Space companies like ISRO, KARI, and NASA depend on direct communication, sharing spacecraft place information by electronic mail and teleconferences. However, in keeping with Soyoung Chung, a senior researcher with KARI’s technique and planning workforce, difficulties equivalent to community safety obstacles and a scarcity of personnel contact info have, at instances, difficult communication.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory supplies the Multimission Automated Deep-Space Conjunction Assessment Process (MADCAP) software program, which estimates and warns of collision dangers. Still, consultants like Chung have prompt the necessity for a proper worldwide framework for managing shut approaches across the Moon.