New Delhi. ISRO chief Dr. S. Somnath revealed that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) may launch the SPADEX (Space Docking Experiment) mission in December this year. The objective of this mission is to test the docking technology in space, which is very important for Chandrayaan-4 mission.
What is SPADEX mission?
In the SPADEX mission, two parts of the same satellite will be launched separately into space, which will later be tried to connect together in low Earth orbit. Docking technique means joining two different parts by bringing them close to each other. Currently, integration of satellites is going on for this mission, which is expected to be completed in a month. After this their testing and simulation will be done. The mission is targeted to be launched on or before December 15, 2024.
ISRO is planning to finish SPADEX, TV-D2 and Gaganyaan-1 uncrewed flight before the end of the year. That is in the next two and a half months.
Ambitious I have to say. https://t.co/GR5ZWr1qlL
— Vikranth (@VikranthJonna) October 14, 2024
Why is docking technology important?
Space docking technology is important for India’s future space missions. This technology will help in building India’s own space station and will also be important for Chandrayaan-4 mission. Under the SPADEX mission, two parts of the satellite will be launched in the same rocket and released separately into space. After this, both the parts will be found and connected to each other in low Earth orbit. With this technique, both the parts will bring themselves into the same orbit and process the joining.
ISRO’s upcoming missions
After the SPADEX mission, ISRO will conduct two important tests under Gaganyaan, the first of which is Test Vehicle Demonstration-2 (TVD-2) and the second is the first unmanned mission (G1). The G1 mission will send the humanoid robot ‘Vyommitra’ to see what effect space has on it. G1 will have Vyommitra on one seat and Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) on the other seat. The data obtained from both will be analyzed to study the impact of humans in space and the impact on various hardware, software and electronic systems.