ISRO to Launch SpaDeX Mission: Aims to Join Elite Group

India is set to launch its Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission tonight, only a few milliseconds after 10 p.m. The PSLV-C60 rocket will transport two tiny spacecraft, each weighing about 220 kg, into a 470 km circular orbit. 

India hopes to become one of the select few countries with the ability to dock in space with this mission. If the mission is successful, India will get closer to having space-docking technology, making it the fourth nation to have this technology.

Goal of ISRO’s SpaDeX Mission

The goal of this technological demonstration mission is to demonstrate India's proficiency in intricate in-space docking operations, which is an essential technology for upcoming space projects such as moon missions and the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS). 

As part of the SpaDex mission, two tiny satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), will be launched into a low-Earth circular orbit at a height of 470 kilometers.

The mission will showcase numerous indigenous technologies, such as an advanced docking mechanism, rendezvous sensors, and inter-satellite communication systems during this mission.

This mission's primary goal is to showcase the technology for these spacecraft's rendezvous, docking, and undocking. 

SpaDeX’s Key Role in ISRO’s Future Missions 

The SPADEX project is an important step in "paving the way for future missions involving astronauts, sample returns, and advanced space infrastructure," according to ISRO.

ISRO’s Mission to Grow Plants in Space

Additionally, specimens of cowpeas, spinach, and other crops will be sent into space by the ISRO space program, which is scheduled to launch today, to examine how they develop in alien habitats.

As part of the Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies (CROPS), created by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, ISRO intends to cultivate eight cowpea seeds from seed germination and plant sustenance till the two-leaf stage in a closed-box environment with active heat control. 

India in the Line of Elite Nations

The successful completion of this mission will open the door for India to become one of the select few nations with specialized space undocking capability. The only countries with space docking experience are China, Russia, and the United States.

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