NEW DELHI __India aims to become the fourth country to achieve the technological feat by carrying out the first space insertion mission using an. Indian-made rocket on Monday, Reuters reported.
The mission, called the Space Deployment experiment (SpaDeX), lifted off from the IndianSpace Research Organisation's (ISRO) Sati shah Awan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh on a"workhorse" PSLV rocket at 16:30 GMT. Officials on the mission announced the launch was complete after the craft reached an altitude of 470 kilometre (292 miles) about 15 minutes later.
The mission is seen as important for future space operations, including satellite servicing and the operation of the country's planned space station.
Space docking technology is crucial when multiple rocket are needed to complete a mission. It willalso demonstrate the port's energy transfer, whichis important for applications such as space robotics,control of hybrid aircraft and post-docking payload operations .
Each satellite carries advanced payloads, including images and radiation instruments designed to measure radiation and proton radiation in space to provide important data for future human space missions. Testing of the latest docking technology is likely to take place within a week, with an expected date around Jan. 7, Somanath said.
"The rocket placed the satellite in the correct orbit,"he said. The satellites are being assembled and tested by a private company called AnanthTechnologies, rather than a government agency, a first in India.
- Demonstrating this technology will not only mean joining the ranks of any country that has this technology , but will also mean opening up the market for ISRO to partner in many roles - Professor of Astrophysics, Ashoka University Somak Raychaudhary, University of Wisconsin-Madison,said:
The fourth stage of the PSLV, which normally becomes space junk, has been converted into an unmanned space station.
The final stage of the rocket will be converted into an orbiting laboratory and used for various experiments.
PSLV Orbital Experiment Module (POEM) is a solution used by ISRO that allows Indian businesses,universities and research organizations to test space technologies without launching the entire satellite.
By making this platform accessible, we are reducing the barrier to entry and creating more opportunities to contribute to the aerospace sector . -CNN
