SpaDex mission used indigenous technology: Jitendra

A day after the successful launch of PSLV-C60 and India’s first space docking mission, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) SpaDex mission used indigenous technology and credited public-private collaboration for the country’s rapid advancements in the space sector.

As part of the SpaDex mission, the ISRO will for the first time study the growth of plants in space, which is crucial for human spaceflight travels. ISRO plans to grow eight cowpea seeds in a closed-box environment with active thermal control. The growth of the seeds will be studied over a period of five to seven days.

“This is the first time that an ISRO mission will carry out a biological experiment. The CROPS (Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies) experiment will see the germination of seed and sustenance of a plant. Space biology is a new area of study that is emerging and India is taking a lead in it,” Singh said.

He said docking technology would be crucial for India’s Mission Gaganyaan that would be India’s first human-manned space flight carrying Indian astronauts into space. Docking is a critical technology in space operations, enabling two spacecraft to connect and work as one unit. It facilitates crew transfers, resupply missions and the assembly of larger structures like space stations.

“When we look forward to Gaganyaan or talk about transferring humans from one spacecraft to another, this technology (docking technology) will enable us to do that. In the SpaDex mission, the PSLV-C60 rocket carried two satellites each weighing approximately 220 kg. These two satellites cost Rs 125 crore each which is a very small fraction of the similar missions undertaken by other agencies like NASA. This also confirmed our abilities to go in for a cost-effective mission,” Singh said.

He said India would take the space economy from $8.4 billion to $44 billion in the next seven years.

“In the last few years, our space economy has been on the rise,” the minister said. He said 2024 began by making news about space.

“It was the Aditya, the first solar mission. Trials have happened for the Gagayaan mission. The final dress rehearsal featuring a female robot is set to take place next year,” Singh said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also lauded ISRO for successfully launching the SpaDeX mission.

“Bharat paces to become the fourth nation to master space docking. Kudos to team ISRO on the successful launch of SpaDeX mission. This is a grand success that opens a new path for Bharat in space docking technology and strengthens its role as a global leader in space,” Shah said.