Two spacecraft assisting ISRO in demonstrating space docking, a technology essential for future space missions, successfully separated and entered the desired orbit late Monday, ISRO said.
“The PSLV C60 mission is believed to be accomplished as of the SpaDeX spacecraft,” said mission director M. Jayakumar.
ISRO Director General S. Somanath said the rocket flew the satellite for more than 15 minutes and placed the satellite in the correct orbit in a 475 km circular orbit.
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Read: India takes first step towards its own space station, returns sample from moon
“So, as far as we know, the rocket will put the spacecraft in the right orbit, and the Sudex satellites will move one after the other, increasing further distances over time, until they are about 20 kilometers away. “Then the rendezvous and docking process will begin and we hope that the docking process will take place within another week, with an estimated time of approximately January 7,” he said in a speech from the mission control center. mentioned in.
And a very important part of this mission is POEM-4 (currently operational) with 24 payloads from start-ups, industries, academic institutions and ISRO centres, he said. These are scheduled to be launched late Monday night.
The PSLV-C60 mission, billed as a prelude for ISRO to establish its own space station by 2035, will see India join the elite club to achieve this feat, which is expected to be accomplished within days. Become.
The 44.5-meter-tall rocket carries two spacecraft, Spacecraft A and Spacecraft B, each weighing 220 kg and will be useful for space docking, satellite servicing, and interplanetary missions.
After a culminating 25-hour countdown that began on Sunday, the rocket lifted off from the spaceport’s first launch pad at 10 p.m., sending thick orange smoke and plumes over the island, located about 135 kilometers east of Chennai. It made a roaring sound.
According to ISRO scientists, the two spacecraft, the ‘chaser’ Spacecraft A (SDX01) and the ‘target’ Spacecraft B (SDX02), traveled at the same speed and distance before reaching an altitude of approximately They will later merge after 470km. .
By mastering docking technology, ISRO plans to increase its operational flexibility and expand its mission scope.
This technology is essential for some of India’s space ambitions, including Indian on Moon, collecting samples from the moon (Chandrayaan-4 mission), and building and operating the Bharatiya Antariksh station.
“Space docking technology is essential when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve a common mission objective. Through this mission, India aims to become the fourth country in the world to have space docking technology. progress is being made,” ISRO said.
Other countries that have achieved this technological feat are China, Russia, and the United States.
Now that the spacecraft has reached its desired orbit, scientists plan to take steps in the next few days that will shorten the distance between them, unite them, and ultimately lead to the spacecraft’s docking.
The launch of PSLV-C60 will be ISRO’s last mission in 2024. By the way, the space agency kicked off 2024 with the successful launch of the PSLV-C58/XPOSAT mission on January 1st.
Monday’s PSLV rocket will also be the first rocket to be integrated up to the fourth stage at the PSLV Integration Facility (PIF) established at the Satish Dhawan Space Center here.
