ISRO space docking delays not ‘failures’, but ‘trials’: Experts

Former ISRO Chairman S Somanath said that the delay and repeated attempts at docking since January 7, should not be viewed as failures.
The docking came days after a successful trial where the SpaDeX satellites came 3m close to each other.
The docking came days after a successful trial where the SpaDeX satellites came 3m close to each other. (Photo| X)
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BENGALURU: The successful docking of two spacecraft SDX01 and SDX02, as part of Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission, was achieved not after a series of “failed attempts” which caused the delay, but after “trials” to avoid the risk of not achieving a docking at all, said space scientists.

Former ISRO Chairman S Somanath said that the delay and repeated attempts at docking since January 7, should not be viewed as failures. They were trials done before the final docking. He said docking is not an easy exercise and needs a lot of close algorithm and calibration steps to be taken before the final docking, he explained.

“Docking and undocking of two satellites can be repeated a number of times till the fuel lasts. There is 5 kg propellant in each satellite (for thrusters). These are two small satellites with limited fuel capacity. So it is being used only during manoeuvring and docking, which does not require much fuel. The exercises can continue till the fuel lasts. This is the reason why it was being done slowly,” he said.

Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan said there was no hurry for ISRO to complete the mission. They could have waited even longer. There were some problems, but corrected with simulation on the ground, he said, adding that the teams took calculated steps to ensure there were no risks, which is a cost-effective exercise.

Former ISRO scientist Mylaswamy Annadurai, well-known as “Moon Man of India” for helming India’s first lunar mission Chandrayaan-1, said manual manoeuvring was also done remotely for the docking to happen, which can be done any time on spacecraft even if sensors fail.

A former ISRO scientist said the drift anomaly, which delayed the docking, could have been because of an issue with on board sensors of the two spacecraft, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target). But several experts agree that the ISRO scientists correcting that anomaly between the two spacecraft demonstrated their capability of handling any situation at hand.

While Thursday’s success demonstrated the docking capability, former ISRO scientists and space experts said the next focus should be gaining capability in transferring men and material from one spacecraft to the other, which would be crucial with India’s own space station planned by 2035, besides future lunar missions and manned space missions in the Gaganyaan series.

Former ISRO Chairman K Sivan said this was a useful mission for future space missions, and the success is a boost.

Sanjay Nekkanti, CEO and Co-Founder, Dhruva Space, said: “The SpaDeX showcases the potential of integrated systems, autonomy and cross-disciplinary collaboration, revolutionizing how we manage spacecraft in orbit and bringing us closer to the next generation of space infrastructure.”

PG Diwakar, ISRO Chair Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), said before taking up more docking and undocking attempts, the scientists will have to work on demonstrating the capability of transfer of energy between two spacecraft, a crucial step for missions ISRO has planned in the coming years, like Chandrayaan-4, Gaganyaan and the Bhartiya Antriksh Station.

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