PSLV-C60/SPADEX Mission on Dec 30 : ISRO

Chennai: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday announced that the maiden space docking demonstration mission PSLV C60/SPADEX Mission is scheduled will be launched on December 30 at 2158 hrs from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota.

The launch will take place from the First Launch Pad.

“PSLV C60/SPADEX Mission is scheduled on 30th December 2024 at 21:58 hrs IST from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota”, ISRO posted on X.

This would mark a groundbreaking mission as ISRO will script history by deploying a record 24 scientific experiments into space aboard the PSLV Orbital Experiment Module-4 (POEM-4) under the PSLV-C60 space docking demonstration SpaDeX mission.

With this launch, ISRO will join a select group of spacefaring nations in mastering space docking technology which will give a major fillip for future missions like Chandrayaan-4 and Gaganyaan.

SpaDeX Mission is to demonstrate the first ever technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft (SDX01, which is the Chaser, and SDX02, the Target, nominally) and they would be launched in a low-Earth circular orbit.

“The launch vehicle has been integrated and now moved to the First Launch Pad, for further integration of satellites and launch preparations”, the Space Agency said in a social media post.

In a PSLV-C60/SPADEX Mission update on X, ISRO said PS4-Orbital Experiment Module (POEM) revolutionizes space tech!”

“With 24 cutting-edge R&D payloads (14 from ISRO, 10 from academia/startups), it pushes boundaries in biological experiments, robotics, SAR imaging, AI labs, & more. A giant leap for science & innovation”, it said.

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 Moon, sample return from the Moon, the building and operation of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), etc.

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.

Source: UNI

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