Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that its PSLV-C60 Space Docking Experiment was rescheduled by 2 minutes.
The mission, a significant milestone in India’s space program, will launch on Monday at 10 p.m. instead of the 9.58 p.m. that was initially scheduled, according to ISRO. However, the cause for the postponement was not immediately disclosed.
This adjustment is due to the “conjections with other satellites” in the same orbital path, Dr. S Somanath, Chairman of ISRO, told.
Experts at ISRO found that some satellites from the Starlink constellation were coming in the way
This is not the first time ISRO has had to reschedule its launch due to congestion in the orbit and flight path of the rocket.
“Launch Day is here. Tonight at precisely 10 pm, PSLV-C60 with SpaDeX and innovative payloads are set for liftoff,” ISRO said in an update on Monday.
“Space Docking Experiment is a pioneering mission to establish India’s capability in orbital docking, a key technology for future human spaceflight and satellite servicing missions,” the space agency added.
The mission is all set to be launched from the first launched from the first launchpad. It would carry SpaDeX with two spacecraft as the primary payloads and 24 secondary payloads.
It involves two spacecrafts, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), performing a series of maneuvers to dock approximately 10 days after the launch.
The mission is a cost-effective technology demonstrator mission for in-space docking. The in-space docking technology is essential for taking India’s ambitions to space. Alongside, it will also be useful when multiple rocket launches are planned to achieve common mission objectives.
This mission would make India join an elite list featuring China, Russia and the US. The in-space docking is critical for the future development of India’s own space station, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station.
This launch will be live-streamed on ISRO’s official YouTube channel and updates will be shared across all of ISRO’s social media platforms.
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