The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) aims to achieve several goals with its Space Docking Experiment (Spadex), which is scheduled to launch on Monday, December 30. One of them is to master autonomous space docking technology.
The mission involves launching two specially designed satellites into space. Each weighs about 220 kg and will be launched into space using a workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Here are the top five reasons why ISRO’s year-end mission could be a gamechanger for India.
space docking technology
The completion of this mission will pave the way for India to join the exclusive club of countries which have achieved special space undocking technology. Only the United States, Russia, and China have space docking expertise.
The Spadex mission involves deploying two small satellites, SDX01 (chaser) and SDX02 (target) into low-Earth circular orbit at an altitude of 470 km.
One of the main objectives of this mission is to demonstrate the technology for rendezvous, docking and undocking of these spacecraft.
Important for future lunar missions
Acquiring docking expertise will enable ISRO to utilize valuable experience for future lunar missions such as Chandrayaan-4.
“In addition, SpaDeX, due to its small size and mass, is even more challenging due to the microscopic precision required for rendezvous and docking maneuvers than docking two larger spacecraft. This mission will provide the autonomous capabilities required for future lunar “The docking will be a precursor to missions like Chandrayaan-4 without GNSS support from Earth,” ISRO said in a statement.
space probes
Apart from testing India’s docking capability, the other objective of the mission is to send more than twenty payloads into space. ISRO’s PSLV-C60 will carry twenty-four payloads as part of the PSLV-Orbital Experiment Module (POEM-4). These payloads will be of utmost importance for ISRO’s space exploration programs and experiments.
ISRO has described the Spadex mission as an important step in “paving the way for future missions involving astronauts, sample return and advanced space infrastructure”.
promote space startups
The space mission will be a big step for India’s leading startups, which are also sending their payloads to space as part of their research and development systems. According to the Press Trust of India, the PSLV Orbital Experiment Module (POEM) will carry 24 experiments to demonstrate various technologies in space – 14 from different ISRO laboratories and 10 from private universities and start-ups.
seed germination in space
The ISRO space programme, to be launched today, will also take samples of spinach, cowpea and other crops to space to study their growth patterns in extraterrestrial environments.
ISRO has conducted experiments on the cultivation of cowpea from seed germination and plant nutrition to the two-leaf stage in a closed box environment with active thermal control as part of the Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies (CROPS) developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. Plan to grow eight seeds. ,
