Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Performs Bhumi Pujan for ISRO Radar Research Facility at Chandrapur

Key facts

• Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma performed the Bhumi Pujan and laid the foundation stone of the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) Advanced Radar Research Facility (IARRF) at Chandrapur in Kamrup Metropolitan district on 21 September 2026.
• The facility is being established under Project NETRA to improve India's Space Situational Awareness (SSA) capabilities for monitoring and tracking objects in outer space.
• The IARRF will feature advanced radar systems and optical telescopes for satellite and space object surveillance to protect India's space assets.
• The Assam State Government allotted approximately 200 bighas of land at the former Chandrapur Thermal Power Station site to ISRO for the facility.
• The first radar, intended for cloud research, is expected to be installed by February next year and will enhance understanding of weather and atmospheric conditions affecting Assam and the region.
• ISRO Chairman Dr V. Narayanan, who is also Secretary of the Department of Space, stated that the facility would reinforce India's space situational awareness and aid advanced scientific research.