Scientific studies by ISRO's Telemetry Tracking and Command Network indicate that Indian satellites have up to 0.03 per cent probability of being hit. ``Though the probability number is low, and our satellites are designed to be rugged with in-built fault-tolerant features, the consequences of the impact, if occurred, can be catastrophic,'' said a four-member group.

Writing in the latest issue of Current Science, T Parimala Rangan, P Kesava Rao, K Nageswara Rao and P Soma say that the earth will not shield the satellites as most of the orbital plane will be exposed to the Leonid storm for full duration.According to them, physical damage to the solar panels is very unlikely as the meteor storm approach is edge-on to the sun-tracking solar panels. As aprecautionary measure, ISRO has worked out a strategy to safeguard its fleet of satellites with minimal interruption in the routine operational services. Scientists said even if the satellites are found to be unaffected during the event, the Leonid storm of 1999 and 2000 cannot be neglected as the intensity of the storm can be high in subsequent years, as is evident from the precedence set by storms.

Leonid meteoroids are associated with Comet 55P - Tempel-Tuttle - whose orbital period is 33.3 years. The comet crossed the perihelion on February 28 this year. As the earth ploughs through the path of the debris-cloud left behind by the comet, any of the 500 operational satellites in space may get sand-blasted.