In a significant milestone, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday launched PSLV-C60 with SpaDeX and innovative payloads from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
ISRO's year-end mission is historic as it seeks the rare feat of docking or merging or joining together two satellites in space. The project has been named “Space Docking Experiment" (SpaDeX).
The first stage performance is normal.
SpaDeX mission is a cost-effective technology demonstrator mission for the demonstration of in-space docking using two small spacecraft launched by PSLV. The primary objective of the SpaDeX mission is to develop and demonstrate the technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft (SDX01, which is the Chaser, and SDX02, the Target, nominally) in a low-Earth circular orbit.
As reported by ANI, Somanath also celebrated ISRO's 99th launch, saying, “For us, this is the 99th launch of any launch vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. It's a very significant milestone. We're preparing for the 100th launch at the start of next year. In this 99th launch, PSLV-C60 successfully placed two SpaDeX satellites weighing 220 kilograms into a circular orbit of 475 kilometres."
He further explained that SpaDeX would undergo various operations starting tomorrow, working towards its docking condition, with the final docking expected by January 7, 2025. “This is not the first SpaDeX; there will be more varieties, including demonstrations of bigger and more complex versions of docking systems in the coming days," he added.
The technological challenge has been mastered only by a few countries and the indigenous technology used for this mission is called the “Bharatiya Docking System".
“The success of this mission is vital for India's future space ambitions," Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh had said earlier.
Docking technology is key for long-term missions like "Chandrayaan-4" and the planned Indian space station. It is also crucial for the eventual manned “Gaganyaan" mission.
The SpaDeX mission, ISRO's year-end project, is historic as it aims to achieve the rare feat of docking or merging two satellites in space. The project is a cost-effective technology demonstration mission for in-space docking using two small spacecraft launched by PSLV.
The primary objective of the SpaDeX mission is to develop and demonstrate the technology required for the rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft (SDX01, the Chaser, and SDX02, the Target) in low-Earth circular orbit. Docking technology is crucial for long-term missions like Chandrayaan-4, the planned Indian space station, and the eventual manned Gaganyaan mission.
(With input from ANI)