ISRO plans to use the PSLV-C60 rocket to launch its first-ever Space Docking Experiment (SpaDEX) mission on December 30, 2024, according to the web portal Spaceflight. With the goal of demonstrating autonomous docking technology in space—a capacity that only a select few nations, including the US, Russia, and China, have mastered—this mission represents a major turning point for India.
Known as “Chaser” and “Target,” the two 400-kg satellites will dock at a height of about 700 kilometers.
The mission will demonstrate precision control to maintain relative positions in orbit, and the Chaser will autonomously return to dock with the Target satellite. Testing the capability of controlling one satellite while docked using the attitude control system of another is another aspect of docking. For the first time, ISRO is investigating the use of robotic technologies for manipulation in space. In order to support ISRO’s overarching objective of creating a debris-free environment by 2030, the project attempts to showcase technology for catching satellites and debris in space.
The cubesat will have a lengthy tether attached to it that will be used to grab and secure it during the capture. This technique is intended to make it easier to deorbit the satellite and any debris that is caught, guaranteeing that they burn up as they reenter the Earth’s atmosphere.
A robotic arm installed on the POEM (PS4 Orbital Platform) will grab a free-flying cubesat that is connected to the platform as part of the tethered satellite capture.
The technology’s implementation presents a number of technological difficulties, such as safe deorbiting of trapped debris, efficient tether deployment and control, and accurate targeting of swiftly moving objects.
If SpaDEX is successful, it will improve India’s space operations skills and open the door for other initiatives like:
A mission to return samples to the moon.
The projected space station for India.
The manned spaceflight program of India.
Because in-orbit servicing and refueling are essential for long-term space operations, the mission’s success may also increase the operating life of geostationary satellites.
This mission, which showcases India’s expanding capabilities in space technology development, is a collaborative endeavor with considerable contributions from business sector partners, ISRO has emphasized.
This experiment is an important step in creating space operations technology that could improve satellite maneuverability and support environmentally friendly space exploration methods.
