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The skies over Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, were lit up at 10 pm today with the 62nd launch of the PSLV. The 25-hour countdown which started on Sunday, ended with the rocket lifting off from the First Launch Pad at this spaceport, exuding blinding orange fumes that streaked through the night sky. Within 15 minutes, it placed the twin space docking satellites into space. 

Amid much applause, Dr S Somanath, chairman of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) announced that they have got the “right orbit”. 

The last stage of the launch vehicle was continuing to work to lower its orbit for the POEM (PS4-Orbital Experiment Module), which would conduct tests in the vacuum of space. 

ISRO has announced that the space docking experiment will most likely take place on January 7. The two satellites will be mated in space when they would be travelling at ten times the velocity of a bullet. 

The Spacecraft A (SDX01) or the ‘Chaser’ and Spacecraft B (SDX02) or the ‘Target’ would be merged together at an altitude of about 470 km after travelling at the same speed and distance.

A successful docking and undocking would make India the world’s fourth nation to have space docking technology, ISRO has said.

Explaining the process, Dr Somnath, in an exclusive interview to NDTV, said: “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, he said, can be done using various approaches — soft mechanisms, hard mechanisms, or pressurised compartments for human transfer. 

“For example, on the International Space Station, crew modules dock at the station, equalise pressure, and transfer people,” he told NDTV.

This was the 99th rocket launch from the Satish Dhawan Centre of Sriharikota and it had a glorious lift off, placing SpaDeX satellites in the best orbit. 

The next steps — docking and the 24 experiments — will be conducted over the next few weeks.

With this, ISRO, which had started 2024 with a PSLV launch on Jan 1, ends it on a high note as well.

Two spacecraft that would aid ISRO in demonstrating space docking, a critical technology for future space missions got separated successfully and were placed into the desired low earth orbit late on Monday night, ISRO said.

“PSLV C60 mission accomplished as of SpaDeX spacecraft is considered,” said Mission director M Jayakumar.

Dubbed as a prelude to ISRO setting up its own Space Station by 2035, the PSLV-C60 mission would also make India join an elite club in achieving this feat which is expected to take place in the coming days.

The 44.5 metre tall rocket carried two spacecraft — Spacecraft A and B, each weighing 220kg which would help in space docking, satellite servicing and interplanetary missions.

After the culmination of the 25 hour countdown which commenced on Sunday, the rocket lifted-off at 10 pm from the First Launch Pad at this spaceport, emanating thick orange coloured fumes and thunderous sound in the island, located about 135 km east of Chennai.

According to ISRO scientists, the two spacecraft-Spacecraft A (SDX01) or the ‘Chaser’ and Spacecraft B (SDX02) or the ‘Target’ would be merged together later at an altitude of about 470 km after travelling at the same speed and distance.

By mastering the docking technologies, ISRO is set to enhance its operational flexibility and also expand its mission horizons.

This technology is essential for some of India’s space ambitions like Indian on Moon, getting samples from the Moon (Chandrayaan-4 mission), building and operation of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station.

“In-space docking technology is essential when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve common mission objectives. Through this mission, India is marching towards becoming the fourth country in the world to have space docking technology,” ISRO said.

The others to achieve this technological feat are China, Russia and the US.

While the Spacecraft has reached the desired orbit, in the coming days, scientists would take measures to merge the two by reducing the distance between them, ultimately leading to the docking of the spacecraft.

The launch of PSLV-C60 would be the last mission undertaken by the ISRO in 2024. Incidentally, the space agency began 2024 with the successful launch of PSLV-C58/XPOSAT mission on January 1.

Monday’s PSLV rocket also becomes the first vehicle to be integrated upto the fourth stage at the PSLV Integration Facility (PIF) that has been established at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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:

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is attempting to mate two satellites in the near vacuum of space, both of which would travel at a velocity ten times the speed of a bullet – a tough challenge to arrest two orbiting space assets and nudge them into a single spacecraft. It will take place under the ‘SpaDeX’ or Space Docking Experiment mission scheduled on December 30.

The mission is called ‘space docking’ and has been in the making for more than a decade in Bengaluru.

To date, only Russia, US, and China have mastered the complex technology and none share the intricacies of this process.

How ISRO will dock two satellites

The PSLV rocket will carry two specially designed satellites each weighing about 220 kg and then attempt docking and undocking at 470 kilometers above the Earth. The space agency will use a specially designed space docking mechanism called the ‘Bhartiya Docking System’ which meets the International Docking System Standard (IDSS) developed by NASA.

“India had to develop its own docking mechanism since no one shares the fine details of this hugely complex process,” ISRO Chairman Dr S Somanath told NDTV.

Interestingly, ISRO has already taken a patent on the Indian docking mechanism.

The two satellites will be travelling at a velocity of about 28,800 kilometers per hour or about 36 times the speed of a commercial airplane or ten times the velocity of a bullet in the near-Earth orbit. Using specially designed rockets and a suite of sensors the relative velocities of the satellites will be slowed down to almost zero or just about 0.036 kilometers per hour or to 10 millimeters per second and then they will be mated together.

Two independent spacecraft, ‘Chaser’ and ‘Target’, will be conjoined to become one entity in space.

“This sounds simple but to do this autonomously is a Herculean challenge as the physics involved is complex since both satellites have to remain in orbit and more importantly not crash into each other,” Dr Somanath said.

“Mastering docking is a necessary step if India has to send Chandryaan-4, build a space station, and then send an Indian to the moon…SpaDeX is one mission with many-many objectives, truly the fullest use of tax payer money to innovate and catapult India into the next league of space fairing nations,” he added.

According to ISRO, SpaDeX mission is a cost-effective technology demonstrator mission for the demonstration of in-space docking using two small spacecraft launched by PSLV. This technology is essential for India’s space ambitions such as Indian on the moon, sample return from the moon, and the building and operation of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), among others. In-space docking technology is essential when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve common mission objectives.

The SpaDeX mission was conceived and designed by scientists at ISRO but the final assembly, integration, and testing of the satellite was done at Ananth Technologies – a Bengaluru-based space technology company started in 1992 by an ex-ISRO employee turned entrepreneur Dr Subba Rao Pavuluri.

“It was a bold move to let a private company undertake this complex job but they came out with flying colors,” Dr M Sankaran, Director, UR Rao Satellite Center, Bengaluru, said.

The Bhartiya Docking System is so sophisticated and more modern that in its current avatar, it uses only two motors compared to the 24 motors used in the IDSS. In its current format, it is only 450 millimeters in diameter but the final goal will be to develop an 800 millimeter-diameter docking port that will connect the Indian Gaganyaan Crew Module to the Bhartiya Antariksha Station.

The docking experiment is likely to be done by early in the New Year, Dr Sankaran said.

Through this mission, India is marching towards becoming the fourth country in the world to have space docking technology.