SpaDeX Mission: A stepping stone to human spaceflight

A pre-launch image of the SpaDeX Mission

As people return from their Christmas and New Year's holidays, India has made headlines by launching the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) at 10:00 pm on December 30. The mission was carried aboard the PSLV-C60 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. This attempt is a crucial step toward demonstrating India's capabilities in autonomous docking - a feat critical for the future of human and robotic space research.

The SpaDeX Mission

SpaDeX was launched aboard the 44.5-meter-tall PSLV-C60, a rocket with a lift-off mass of 229 tonnes. The mission deployed two spacecraft into a 476-km orbit at a 55° inclination. Subsequent operations involved lowering their orbit to 350 km for the spacecraft to conduct docking procedures. The PSLV-C60 also implemented advanced post-separation protocols, including passivation of the fourth stage to ensure orbital safety.

The mission carried multiple docking stages, including separation, controlled drift, sequential approach phases, and final docking - all executed autonomously. Additionally, it validated experimental power transfer between docked spacecraft, paving the way for future orbital infrastructure.

Stepping stone to human spaceflight

The Gaganyaan mission, which aims to send Indian astronauts to space, stands as one of the most ambitious undertakings of the Indian Space Research Organisation. For the mission to be successful, India must develop several advanced capabilities, including the ability to dock spacecraft autonomously. In this context, SpaDeX becomes a basis for Gaganyaan and beyond. SpaDeX technology will ensure that future crewed missions can safely dock with orbiting space stations or other modules, enabling the transfer of crew, supplies, and scientific instruments. The ability of an auto-docking spacecraft aligns with its long-term vision of creating a National Space Station by the early 2030s.

The auto-docking system being developed for SpaDeX relies on robotics, AI, machine learning, and real-time data processing technologies. These technologies have broad applications, better scientific investigations in space, such as asteroid studies or lunar research and in industries far beyond space science, including autonomous vehicles, healthcare, and manufacturing.

In particular, the progress in robotics and autonomous systems developed by SpaDeX has noble applications in fields like disaster response, precision agriculture, and even underwater exploration. Technologies that enable the safe, autonomous operation of spacecraft can similarly be adapted to ensure the safety and efficiency of autonomous machines on Earth, presenting new opportunities for cross-sector innovation. As the space community looks to expand beyond low Earth orbit, it will be crucial for future missions, where docking enables deep-space exploration, planetary landings, and even the establishment of permanent habitats on the Moon or Mars.

Emerging space power

The global landscape of space exploration has evolved over the past decades, shifting from a few dominant space agencies to a more collaborative, multi-polar environment. Historically, the United States, Russia, and more recently China, have been the primary drivers of space exploration. As an emerging space power, India's involvement in space exploration is an opportunity for countries with more established space programs - the United States, European Space Agency, and Russia - to engage in collaborative approaches that capitalise on each nation's strengths. One example of such collaboration is the Lunar Gateway, a project led by NASA as part of the Artemis program that aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon.

India's progress in auto-docking will complement the capabilities of other space agencies, but the road to the successful development and deployment of auto-docking systems is with challenges too. Difficulties of operating in the harsh, unpredictable environment of space cannot be overstated. Even small errors in the docking process can have severe consequences. India has faced and overcome similar challenges in missions like Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan. As countries look to engage in deeper space exploration - whether through lunar bases, interplanetary missions, or the construction of space stations. It's a sign of the country's growing capabilities in advanced space technologies. By achieving auto-docking, it'll not only progress toward its ambitious goals like Gaganyaan and a national space station but also establish itself as a vital contributor to global space exploration just like earlier Moon and Mars missions.

About the Author

Nishant Sahdev is a theoretical physicist at the University of North Carolina, USA.

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