ISRO PSLV-C60 SpaDeX mission launch today: 5 reasons why this space mission can be a game changer for India

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) aims to achieve multiple targets with its Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), set to launch on Monday, December 30. One of them is to master autonomous space docking technology. 

The mission involves launching two specially designed satellites into space. Each weighs around 220 kg and will be sent to space using the workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Here are the main five reasons why ISRO's year-end mission can be a gamechanger for India.

Space Docking technology 

The completion of this mission will unlock India's path to joining the exclusive club of countries that have attained special space undocking technology. Only the United States, Russia, and China possess space docking expertise.

The SpaDex mission involves deploying two small satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), into a low-Earth circular orbit at an altitude of 470 km. 

One of the main objectives of this mission is to demonstrate the technology for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of these spacecraft. 

Crucial for future lunar missions 

Attaining the docking expertise would enable ISRO to utilise the experience critical for future lunar missions like Chandrayaan-4.

"In addition, SpaDeX, because of its small size and mass, is even more challenging due to the finer precision required for the rendezvous and docking maneuvers compared to docking two large spacecraft. This mission will be a forerunner for autonomous docking needed for future lunar missions like Chandrayaan-4 without the support of GNSS from Earth," ISRO said in a statement.

Space Exploration 

Apart from testing India's docking capability, the mission's other objective is to send more than twenty payloads to space. ISRO's PSLV-C60 will carry twenty-four payloads as part of the PS4-Orbital Experiment Module (POEM-4). These payloads will be of immense importance for ISRO's space exploration programs andexperiments.

ISRO has called the SPADEX mission a crucial step in “paving the way for future missions involving astronauts, sample returns, and advanced space infrastructure.”

Boost to space startups

The space mission will be a major stepping stone for India's major startups, which are also sending their payloads to space as part of their research and development systems. According to Press Trust of India, the PSLV Orbital Experiment Module (POEM) will carry 24 experiments—14 from various ISRO labs and 10 from private universities and start-ups—to demonstrate various technologies in space. 

Seed germination in space 

The ISRO space program, set to launch today, will also take specimens of spinach, cowpeas, and other crops into space to study their growth patterns in extraterrestrial environments. 

ISRO plans to grow eight cowpea seeds from seed germination and plant sustenance until the two-leaf stage in a closed-box environment with active thermal control as part of the Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies (CROPS) developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.