In late 2025, as NASA faced data disruptions due to a U.S. government shutdown, India’s observatories became the world’s main trackers of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS — only the third such object to visit our solar system. Their coordinated efforts ensured continuous global data flow, helping scientists study the comet’s unique composition and its link to how planets and solar systems form.

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• 3I/ATLAS discovered in early 2025, third-known interstellar comet after ‘Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov
• Originates outside the solar system, carries materials from distant stars
• NASA’s data blackout in late October halted global updates temporarily
• India’s observatories — IIA, ARIES, and IUCAA — began emergency tracking
• Devasthal Optical Telescope in Uttarakhand led precise global observations
• Indian teams shared real-time data with ESA and European observatories
• Ensured uninterrupted tracking as comet faded behind solar glare
• Data revealed early-universe ices, minerals, and organic compounds
• Observations expected to refine models of planet and solar system formation
• Marked India’s rising role in global space collaboration and scientific resilience