Sriharikota:
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched PSLV-C60 with SpaDeX and innovative payload from Sriharikota. ISRO scientists expressed happiness after the launch and considered it another important achievement for India. With this, India has now become the fourth country to successfully launch Spadex. ISRO said- Primary Spadex spacecraft ‘A’ and ‘B’ present on PSLV-C60 successfully separated.
What is docking and undocking?
Space Docking Experiment, also known as SpaDeX, is an important mission of ISRO. Under this mission, two small spacecraft will be launched by the PSLV-C60 rocket and then they will be attached in space. This process is called docking. At the same time, the process of separating these two spacecraft while in space is called undocking. ISRO will demonstrate the technology of docking and undocking in space through this mission.
Why is this mission important?
Sometimes space missions are so complex that they require launching more than one rocket. In such a situation, docking technology is used to connect these rockets or their parts in space itself. ISRO is preparing itself for such future missions.
bringing objects together in space
When multiple objects, such as satellites, spacecraft or other instruments, are present in space, docking is required to bring them together. This process is an efficient way of connecting two objects in space.
Human spaceflight and lunar missions
Docking can also be used to send human spacecraft to the Moon or other planets. For example, an orbiter and a lander in lunar orbit can be connected through docking.
ISRO’s PSLV-C60 rocket was launched from the space center late on Monday night, in which two important spacecraft were sent. These spacecraft will provide essential technology for future space missions and help perform space docking.
As part of ISRO’s plan to set up its own space station by 2035, the 44.5 meter tall PSLV rocket carried Spacecraft A and B. The weight of both these vehicles was 220 kg and they will be helpful in space docking, satellite service and interplanetary missions.
Spadex is an ambitious mission to establish India’s capability in orbital docking, a critical technology for future manned space missions and satellite servicing missions. It is an affordable technology demonstration mission for ‘docking’ in space, thereby joining the elite list of India, China, Russia and the US.
In the ‘Spadex mission’, ‘Spacecraft A’ carries a high resolution camera, while ‘Spacecraft B’ carries a miniature multispectral payload and a radiation monitor payload. These payloads will provide high resolution images, natural resource monitoring, vegetation studies etc.
Under ISRO’s SpaDeX mission, two small satellites will be launched by PSLV rocket weighing 229 tonnes. These satellites will be docking and undocking from an altitude of 470 kilometers.
