New Delhi:

Only three countries in the world – United States, Russia, and China – have the ability to carry out docking of two spacecraft or satellites in outer space. India is now on the cusp of achieving that feat as ISRO’s last mission of 2024 – named SpaDeX – lift-off from Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota at 2200 hrs (10 pm) IST.

SpaDex is short for Space Docking Experiment. This involves an experimental docking, subsequent interlocking and pressure checks, and undocking of two satellites. The mission is important for ISRO’s future moon missions, including Chandrayaan 4. It is also particularly important for India’s plan to set up its own space station.

In October this year, the government had announced that India will have its own Space Station called the Bharatiya Antriksh Station by 2035.

ISRO’s PSLV-C60 carrying SpaDeX and its payloads, lifts off from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Sriharikota

So far, there are two other space stations – the International Space Station, built by the United States (NASA) and Russia (Roscosmos). The US side of the ISS is built by NASA and European Space Agency or ESA. The second space station is being built by China, and is called the Tiangong Space Station. India aims to set up the third.

Every time astronauts or cosmonauts are sent to space, especially the International Space Station, the shuttle or capsule they travel in needs to perform a docking manoeuvre. Only after the docking procedure is complete, and the two objects are securely interlocked, can the astronauts get into the pressurised cabin of the space station.

ISRO’S DOCKING EXPERIMENT EXPLAINED WITH THE HELP OF ‘INTERSTELLAR’

Docking in space is one of the most difficult and complicated procedures – the slightest of errors can lead to a catastrophe – an example of which was shown in the epic sci-fi movie Interstellar – where Cooper and the crew had to navigate a near-impossible and heart-pounding docking scenario after a minuscule error by Dr Mann sends the Endurance space station into an uncontrolled spin due to a catastrophic decompression. The scene highlights a complex docking manoeuvre.

Just like in the movie, where there was a Lander spacecraft and a Courier spacecraft, ISRO’s mission has two spaceships – the Chaser (SDX01) and the Target (SDX02), each weighing 220 kilograms. As the names suggest, the aim of the mission will be for the chaser to chase the target while both are orbiting Earth at a high speed and dock with it expeditiously.

ALL ABOUT ISRO’S SPADEX MISSION

The SpaDex mission lift-off at 2200 hrs (10 pm) IST on December 30 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

ISRO’s launch was onboard the workhorse PSLV-C60 rocket, which put the two spacecraft in low-Earth orbit, roughly 475 km above the Earth’s surface. The inclination of the two spacecraft will be at 55 degrees facing the Earth. After being deployed in a circular orbit, the two spacecraft will grow apart by around 20 kilometers over 24 hours. The scientists will first carry out several other experiments under the POEM-4 mission – a parallel mission to SpaDex (explained below).

The scientists sitting at ISRO’s mission control in Bengaluru are expected to initiate the intricate and precise docking and undocking manoeuvre in the later half of the first week of January. If successful, India will create history by becoming only the fourth nation in the world to possess such technological ability.

According to ISRO, the main objectives of the SpaDeX mission include:

• To develop and demonstrate the technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft.
• The demonstration of the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, which is essential for future applications such as in-space robotics.
• Composite spacecraft control, including remotely controlling it both in space and from mission control.
• Payload operations after undocking.

This mission is crucial for India’s ability to set up its own Space Station. It will also give India’s RLV or Reusable Launch Vehicle – India’s variant of NASA’s iconic space shuttle – docking capability in future.

India’s Reusable Launch Vehicle or RLV

HOW THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION WAS BUILT

Among other key missions, NASA’s space shuttle was used by the United States to construct the US side of the International Space Station. Russia too used their own space shuttle to build the Russian side of the International Space Station. While NASA had a series of space shuttles, starting with Columbia and evolving into Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour, Russian space agency Roscosmos named their space shuttle Buran.

NASA’s Space Shuttle (L) and Russia’s Space Shuttle (R)

Here is a insightful video of how the International Space Station – the largest man-made space object – was built by the US and Russian space shuttles using the docking mechanism and robotic arms in addition to astronauts and cosmonauts:

ISRO’S POEM-4 MISSION – AND EXPERIMENT WITH MICROGRAVITY

Besides the space docking manoeuvre, there is another key mission objective. ISRO plans to experiment with microgravity during the PSLV rocket’s fourth-stage. ISRO aims to use the spent fourth stage, which it has termed POEM-4 or PSLV Orbital Experimental Module 4, as a platform for carrying our experiments with microgravity.

According to the space agency, it provides an opportunity for the scientific community to carry out certain in-orbit microgravity experiments for an extended duration of up to three months using the POEM platform, which otherwise would end up as space debris immediately after the mission objective of injecting the primary payloads of the mission.

A total of 24 payloads are part of the POEM-4 mission, of which 14 payloads are from ISRO/DOS centres and 10 payloads are from various Non-Government Entities (NGEs) comprising Academia and Start-ups that have been received through IN-SPACe.

One of the fourteen payloads by ISRO is of a robotic arm – again a crucial element to constructing India’s own space station in future. For now the experiment will involve a robotic arm to demonstrate the capturing of tethered debris.
 

New Delhi:

Only three countries in the world – United States, Russia, and China – have the ability to carry out docking of two spacecraft or satellites in outer space. India is now on the cusp of achieving that feat as ISRO’s last mission of 2024 – named SpaDeX – lift-off from Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota at 2200 hrs (10 pm) IST.

SpaDex is short for Space Docking Experiment. This involves an experimental docking, subsequent interlocking and pressure checks, and undocking of two satellites. The mission is important for ISRO’s future moon missions, including Chandrayaan 4. It is also particularly important for India’s plan to set up its own space station.

In October this year, the government had announced that India will have its own Space Station called the Bharatiya Antriksh Station by 2035.

ISRO’s PSLV-C60 carrying SpaDeX and its payloads, lifts off from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Sriharikota

So far, there are two other space stations – the International Space Station, built by the United States (NASA) and Russia (Roscosmos). The US side of the ISS is built by NASA and European Space Agency or ESA. The second space station is being built by China, and is called the Tiangong Space Station. India aims to set up the third.

Every time astronauts or cosmonauts are sent to space, especially the International Space Station, the shuttle or capsule they travel in needs to perform a docking manoeuvre. Only after the docking procedure is complete, and the two objects are securely interlocked, can the astronauts get into the pressurised cabin of the space station.

ISRO’S DOCKING EXPERIMENT EXPLAINED WITH THE HELP OF ‘INTERSTELLAR’

Docking in space is one of the most difficult and complicated procedures – the slightest of errors can lead to a catastrophe – an example of which was shown in the epic sci-fi movie Interstellar – where Cooper and the crew had to navigate a near-impossible and heart-pounding docking scenario after a minuscule error by Dr Mann sends the Endurance space station into an uncontrolled spin due to a catastrophic decompression. The scene highlights a complex docking manoeuvre.

Just like in the movie, where there was a Lander spacecraft and a Courier spacecraft, ISRO’s mission has two spaceships – the Chaser (SDX01) and the Target (SDX02), each weighing 220 kilograms. As the names suggest, the aim of the mission will be for the chaser to chase the target while both are orbiting Earth at a high speed and dock with it expeditiously.

ALL ABOUT ISRO’S SPADEX MISSION

The SpaDex mission lift-off at 2200 hrs (10 pm) IST on December 30 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

ISRO’s launch was onboard the workhorse PSLV-C60 rocket, which put the two spacecraft in low-Earth orbit, roughly 475 km above the Earth’s surface. The inclination of the two spacecraft will be at 55 degrees facing the Earth. After being deployed in a circular orbit, the two spacecraft will grow apart by around 20 kilometers over 24 hours. The scientists will first carry out several other experiments under the POEM-4 mission – a parallel mission to SpaDex (explained below).

The scientists sitting at ISRO’s mission control in Bengaluru are expected to initiate the intricate and precise docking and undocking manoeuvre in the later half of the first week of January. If successful, India will create history by becoming only the fourth nation in the world to possess such technological ability.

According to ISRO, the main objectives of the SpaDeX mission include:

• To develop and demonstrate the technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft.
• The demonstration of the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, which is essential for future applications such as in-space robotics.
• Composite spacecraft control, including remotely controlling it both in space and from mission control.
• Payload operations after undocking.

This mission is crucial for India’s ability to set up its own Space Station. It will also give India’s RLV or Reusable Launch Vehicle – India’s variant of NASA’s iconic space shuttle – docking capability in future.

India’s Reusable Launch Vehicle or RLV

HOW THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION WAS BUILT

Among other key missions, NASA’s space shuttle was used by the United States to construct the US side of the International Space Station. Russia too used their own space shuttle to build the Russian side of the International Space Station. While NASA had a series of space shuttles, starting with Columbia and evolving into Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour, Russian space agency Roscosmos named their space shuttle Buran.

NASA’s Space Shuttle (L) and Russia’s Space Shuttle (R)

Here is a insightful video of how the International Space Station – the largest man-made space object – was built by the US and Russian space shuttles using the docking mechanism and robotic arms in addition to astronauts and cosmonauts:

ISRO’S POEM-4 MISSION – AND EXPERIMENT WITH MICROGRAVITY

Besides the space docking manoeuvre, there is another key mission objective. ISRO plans to experiment with microgravity during the PSLV rocket’s fourth-stage. ISRO aims to use the spent fourth stage, which it has termed POEM-4 or PSLV Orbital Experimental Module 4, as a platform for carrying our experiments with microgravity.

According to the space agency, it provides an opportunity for the scientific community to carry out certain in-orbit microgravity experiments for an extended duration of up to three months using the POEM platform, which otherwise would end up as space debris immediately after the mission objective of injecting the primary payloads of the mission.

A total of 24 payloads are part of the POEM-4 mission, of which 14 payloads are from ISRO/DOS centres and 10 payloads are from various Non-Government Entities (NGEs) comprising Academia and Start-ups that have been received through IN-SPACe.

One of the fourteen payloads by ISRO is of a robotic arm – again a crucial element to constructing India’s own space station in future. For now the experiment will involve a robotic arm to demonstrate the capturing of tethered debris.
 

New Delhi:

There is a traffic jam in space! It has forced the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to postpone the launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) by two minutes. Earlier, the PSLV-C60 that would launch the SpaDeX mission or the Space Docking Experiment was to be launched at 9.58 pm, but now it has been pushed to 10 pm.

The launch has been postponed due to “conjunctions with other satellites in the same orbit”, Dr S Somanath, Chairman of ISRO, told NDTV.

This is not the first time ISRO has had to reschedule its launch due to congestion in the orbit and flight path of the rocket.

Experts at ISRO found that some satellites from the Starlink constellation were coming in the way. Today, there are about 7,000 Starlink satellites in the low Earth orbit. This is a constellation owned by American billionaire Elon Musk and his company SpaceX. Starlink provides satellite-based broadband internet connectivity across the world. Ultimately, the total number of Starlink satellites is expected to go up to about 12,000.

Also Read | ‘SpaDeX’ Mission: How ISRO Will Dock Two Satellites In Space

For long, scientists and engineers from many space agencies have been complaining that these massive constellations will cause traffic jams in space. On top of that, there is the presence of space debris in copious amounts that also poses a huge risk to satellites.

In 2023, India had to postpone the launch of its Chandrayaan-3 mission by a few minutes almost for the same reasons.

The SpaDeX Mission

The PSLV C-60 mission has innovation written all over it, with the rocket and the satellites integrated and tested for the very first time at a private entity, Ananth Technologies. At the Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, the rocket was also assembled in a new facility. Further, the space docking experiment is a big bold innovative step that will pave the way for its use in futuristic missions like Chandrayaan-4 and the making of the Bhartiya Antariksha Station.

In addition, the fourth stage of the PSLV which usually turns into space debris has been converted into an active un-crewed space laboratory. The last stage of the rocket has been re-purposed to become an orbital laboratory and from robotic experiments to growing cowpea seeds to testing green rocket fuel all will be tested on the PS4-Orbital Experiment Module, designated as POEM. It is carrying 24 experiments in space including taking three live biology experiments for the very first time by India.

India’s space program is set to achieve another milestone with the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) on its 62nd Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) mission. ISRO will attempt the docking and undocking of two satellites in orbit, a feat mastered only by Russia, the United States, and China.

This landmark mission, described as a “bold step” by ISRO Chairman Dr S Somanath, will use indigenous technology.

“When you have multiple objects in space that need to be brought together for a specific purpose, a mechanism called docking is required. Docking is the process by which two space objects come together and connect. This can be done using various approaches: soft mechanisms, hard mechanisms, or pressurized compartments for human transfer. For example, on the International Space Station, crew modules dock at the station, equalize pressure, and transfer people,” Dr Somanath told NDTV.

This capability is central to future ambitions, including India’s Bharatiya Antariksha Station (a proposed Indian space station), human spaceflight programs, and lunar sample return missions such as Chandrayaan-4.

During docking, there is a “target” object and a “chaser” object. The chaser follows the target, comes into proximity, and establishes a connection.

With the SpaDeX mission, India aims to join the exclusive club of nations capable of space docking.

“The success of this mission will position India as a major spacefaring nation, not just in launching satellites but in conducting complex space operations,” Dr Somanath said.

New Delhi:

Only three countries in the world – United States, Russia, and China – have the ability to carry out docking of two spacecraft or satellites in outer space. India is now on the cusp of joining that elite global space club with the last mission of 2024 named SpaDeX scheduled for lift-off on December 30.

SpaDex is short for Space Docking Experiment.

Every time astronauts or cosmonauts are sent to space, especially the space station, the space shuttle they travel in needs to dock with a spacecraft or space station. Only after docking is complete and secured can the astronauts get into the pressurised space station.

Docking in space is one of the most difficult and complicated procedures – the slightest of errors can lead to a massive catastrophe – an example of which was shown in the epic sci-fi movie Interstellar – where Cooper and the crew had to navigate a near-impossible and heart-pounding docking scenario after a minuscule error by Dr Mann sends the Endurance space station into an uncontrolled spin due to a catastrophic decompression. The scene highlights a complex docking manoeuvre.

Just like in the movie, where there was a Lander spacecraft and a Courier spacecraft, ISRO’s mission on December 30 will also have two spaceships – the Chaser (SDX01) and the Target (SDX02), each weighing 220 kilograms. As the names suggest, the aim of the mission will be for the chaser to chase the target while both are orbiting Earth at a high speed and dock with it expeditiously.

ALL ABOUT ISRO’S SPADEX MISSION

The SpaDex mission is scheduled for lift-off at 2158 hrs (9:58 pm) IST on December 30 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

ISRO’s launch will be onboard the workhorse PSLV-C60 rocket, which will put the two spacecraft in low-Earth orbit, roughly 470 km above the Earth’s surface. The inclination of the two spacecraft will be at 55 degrees facing the Earth. After being deployed in a circular orbit, the two spacecraft will grow apart by around 20 kilometers over 24 hours. The scientists sitting at ISRO’s mission control in Bengaluru will then initiate the intricate and precise docking and undocking manoeuvre.

According to ISRO, the main objectives of the mission will include:

• To develop and demonstrate the technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft.
• The demonstration of the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, which is essential for future applications such as in-space robotics.
• Composite spacecraft control, including remotely controlling it both in space and from mission control.
• Payload operations after undocking.

A successful docking and undocking would catapult India in the league of a select few in space technology.

This mission is crucial for India’s ability to set up its own Space Station. It will also give India’s RLV or Reusable Launch Vehicle – India’s variant of NASA’s iconic space shuttle – docking capability in future.

India’s Reusable Launch Vehicle or RLV

US AND RUSSIA – RIVALS ON EARTH, UNITED IN SPACE

Among other key missions, NASA’s space shuttle was used by the United States to construct the US side of the International Space Station. Russia too used their own space shuttle to build the Russian side of the International Space Station. While NASA had a series of space shuttles, starting with Columbia and evolving into Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour, Russian space agency Roscosmos named their space shuttle Buran.

NASA’s Space Shuttle (L) and Russia’s Space Shuttle (R)

Here is a insightful video of how the International Space Station – the largest man-made space object – was built by the US and Russian space shuttles using the docking mechanism and robotic arms in addition to astronauts and cosmonauts:

ISRO’S EXPERIMENT WITH MICROGRAVITY

Besides the space docking manoeuvre, there is another key mission objective. ISRO plans to experiment with microgravity during the PSLV rocket’s fourth-stage. ISRO aims to use the spent fourth stage, which it has termed POEM-4 or PSLV Orbital Experimental Module 4, as a platform for carrying our experiments with microgravity.

According to the space agency, it provides an opportunity for the scientific community to carry out certain in-orbit microgravity experiments for an extended duration of up to three months using the POEM platform, which otherwise would end up as space debris immediately after the mission objective of injecting the primary payloads of the mission.

A total of 24 payloads will be flown in this POEM-4 mission, of which 14 payloads are from ISRO/DOS centres and 10 payloads are from various Non-Government Entities (NGEs) comprising Academia and Start-ups that have been received through IN-SPACe.

One of the fourteen payloads by ISRO is of a robotic arm – again a crucial element to constructing India’s own space station in future. For now the experiment will involve a robotic arm to demonstrate the capturing of tethered debris.

As India and the rest of the world prepare to ‘have a blast’ on New Years’ Eve, Scientists at ISRO are readying themselves for the blast-off (lift-off) which will help India enter a new era in space technology.