SpaDeX Mission: ISRO's Historic Space Docking Experiment Set For Launch Today

Sriharikota: ISRO , India’s space agency has begun the countdown for a groundbreaking space mission that will mark a significant milestone in the country's space program. The countdown for the launch of the PSLV-C60 rocket, which will carry the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) onboard, started on Sunday evening. As per ISRO, scheduled for lift-off at 9.58 pm on December 30 from the spaceport, the PSLV-C60 rocket will carry SpaDeX, along with two spacecraft as the primary payload and 24 secondary payloads. This mission aims to demonstrate in-space docking technology, a critical advancement that will help India achieve its space exploration goals.

According to the scientists, India will join an elite group of countries, including China, Russia, and the US, in possessing this advanced technology once the mission is successful. In-space docking technology allows spacecraft to dock with one another in orbit, an essential capability for future space missions.

The mission is a cost-effective technology demonstrator, and its success will help pave the way for India's ambitious space plans. This includes sending humans to the Moon, bringing back samples, and eventually building and operating its own space station, called the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS).

Technology Is Significant When Multiple Rockets Need To Be Launched: ISRO

ISRO officials have highlighted the importance of this technology for future missions, especially when multiple rockets need to be launched for a common goal. The docking technology will make it easier to manage and connect various spacecraft, crucial for long-term space exploration projects.

"PSLV-C60/SpaDeX Mission Launch countdown commenced at 9 pm" on Sunday, an ISRO official told PTI.

The in-space docking technology would be essential for taking up India's ambitions in space including sending humans to the Moon, bringing samples from there, and also building and operating India's own space station- Bharatiya Antariksh Station.

The docking technology would also be utilised when multiple rocket launches are planned to achieve common mission objectives.

ISRO said the two spacecraft in the PSLV rocket-- Spacecraft A (SDX01) and Spacecraft B (SDX02) would be placed in an orbit that would keep them 5 km apart from each other. Later, scientists at ISRO headquarters would try to bring them closer up to 3 metres which would subsequently lead them to merge together at an altitude of about 470km above Earth.

The process is expected to take place about 10-14 days after the scheduled lift-off on Monday, ISRO officials said.

In the SpaDeX mission, Spacecraft A carries a High-Resolution Camera, while Spacecraft B has a Miniature Multispectral Payload and a Radiation Monitor Payload. These payloads would provide high-resolution images, natural resource monitoring, and vegetation studies among others.

Apart from this significant mission, scientists would also conduct the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-4 (POEM-4) in which 24 payloads--14 from ISRO and 10 from industry and academia, would be placed in the desired orbits one after the other over a 90-minute period after the lift-off.

The life of the payloads in the fourth stage would be about three to four months. The vehicle for the PSLV-C60 mission used here would be the 18th Core-Alone variant.

This would be ISRO's last mission in 2024 and the PSLV-C60 is the first vehicle to be integrated up to the fourth stage at the PSLV Integration Facility that has been established here.