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ISRO’s Space Program Progress
Context:
India’s space programme, following a vision developed in 2024, enters mission mode in 2025 with major developments.
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- The PSLV-C60 mission launched at the start of 2025, marking progress for Chandrayaan-4 and the Bharatiya Antariksh Station.
- Test flights and the construction of a third launch pad at Sriharikota will bring India closer to human spaceflight and support the Next-Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV).
- On January 14, 2025, V. Narayanan succeeded S. Somanath as ISRO Chairman. Narayanan had previously led efforts on cryogenic engines and oversaw Chandrayaan-2’s failure investigation.
PSLV-C60 Mission: A Milestone in Space Docking
- Launch Details: PSLV-C60 lifted off on December 30, 2024, from the Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota.
- Primary Payload: The mission deployed the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) satellites into a 475-km circular orbit.
- Docking Success: After several attempts starting on January 7, 2025, ISRO achieved its first in-orbit rendezvous and docking on January 16, 2025.
- Inter-satellite separation was reduced in stages: from 500 m to 3 m before successful docking.
- Satellites were subsequently controlled from one unit, enabling critical operations for future lunar and space-station missions.
- Key Partners: Kepler Aerospace provided ground station support, and Swiss company s2a systems shared satellite distance updates.
POEM4 Orbital Experiment
- Post-Launch: The PSLV’s fourth stage was passivated and used as an orbital testbed with 24 payloads from ISRO, academia, and private industry.
- Notable Experiments:
- ISRO’s Relocatable Robotic Manipulator demonstrated movement capabilities.
- Debris Capture Robotic Arm Manipulator attempted debris capture.
- CROPS Module germinated cowpea seeds to study plant growth in space.
- Manastu Space’s Vyom 2U fired green propulsion twice, demonstrating fuel efficiency.
- Bellatrix Aerospace’s RUDRA successfully imparted angular velocity to POEM4.
- N Space Tech’s SwetchaSAT-V0 established UHF to Ku band communication.
- Amateur radio operators received data from BGS-ARPIT, a messaging payload.
- GalaxEye’s GLX-SQ created a synthetic-aperture radar image.
- TakeMe2Space’s MOI-TD AI Payload executed external code despite a critical camera failure.
- Amity University’s APEMS module successfully grew plants in controlled conditions.
Indian Companies on SpaceX Transporter-12 Mission
- Launch Date: January 15, 2025.
- Payloads:
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- Pixxel Space: Deployed three hyperspectral satellites, the first private Indian satellite constellation.
- Digantara: Launched a space camera for object tracking, augmenting its space situational awareness capabilities.
- XDLINX Labs: Built a miniaturised communication satellite with an E-band payload, which transmitted a “hello from space” message.
Infrastructure and Technology Advancements
- Third Launch Pad at SDSC: Approved by the Union Cabinet for Rs 3984.86 crore. Expected completion by 2029 to support human spaceflight and Next-Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) missions.
- Vikas Engine Restart Test: Conducted at Mahendragiri, the engine restarted successfully, an essential feature for atmospheric operations. The PSLV’s fourth-stage engine already has restart capability in space.
