India launches its first space docking mission Space news

If successful, India will become the fourth country to achieve this feat.

India launched its first space docking mission aboard an Indian-made rocket, in an attempt to become the fourth country to achieve this advanced technological achievement.

The mission, called the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Andhra Pradesh at 16:30 GMT on Monday aboard the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) PSLV rocket.

About 15 minutes later, the mission director described the launch as a success after the PSLV-C60 rocket reached an altitude of about 470 kilometers (292 miles).

The mission is seen as pivotal to Future space endeavorsIncluding satellite service and space station operation planned for the country. Space docking technology is critical when multiple rocket launches are needed to achieve common mission objectives.

The Indian mission involves deploying two small spacecraft, each weighing about 220 kilograms (485 pounds), into a 470-kilometre circular orbit. It will also demonstrate the transfer of electrical power between docked spacecraft, a vital capability for applications such as space-based robotics, combined spacecraft control and post-separation payload operations.

Each satellite carries advanced payloads, including an imaging system and a radiation monitor designed to measure electron and proton radiation levels in space, providing critical data for future human spaceflight missions.

ISRO chief S Somanath said actual testing of the docking technology could be done in about a week, and cited a nominal date of around January 7. “The rocket placed the satellites in the correct orbit,” he said.

A successful demonstration would place India alongside the United States, Russia and China as the only countries to have developed and tested this capability.

In a first of its kind in India, the rocket and satellites were integrated and tested in a private company called Ananth Technologies, and not in a government body.

“Offering this technology is not only about being able to join the rare group of countries that have it, it also opens up the market for ISRO to be the launch partner for various global missions that need docking or assembly facilities in space,” he said. Astrophysicist Somak Raychaudhury of Ashoka University.

The PSLV’s fourth stage, which normally turns into space debris, has been converted into an active, unmanned space laboratory. The final stage of the rocket has been repurposed into an orbital laboratory and will be used for various experiments.

“The PSLV Orbiter Experiment Module (POEM) is a practical solution deployed by ISRO that allows Indian startups, academic institutions and research organizations to test their space technologies without the need to launch full-fledged satellites. By providing access to With this platform, we are lowering barriers to entry and enabling a wide range of entities to contribute to the space sector.”

Jitendra Singh, India’s Minister of Science and Technology, said in a statement ahead of the launch that the mission is “vital to India’s future space ambitions.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced plans last year to send a man to the moon by 2040.

The most populous country in the world has a relatively low budget Space programme Which is rapidly approaching the milestones set by global space powers.

In August 2023, India became the fourth country to land an unmanned vehicle on the moon, after Russia, the United States, and China.