Sriharikota: ISRO Chairman S Somanath on Monday said that the GSLV mission scheduled for January will become the 100th launch from Sriharikota spaceport.
Speaking to reporters after the PSLV-C60 mission successfully placed the Space Docking Experiment spacecraft A and B in a circular orbit, Somanath said, “In 2025, we will have many missions to start with the GSLV launching the (navigation satellite) NVS-02 in January."
"So, all of you have seen the majestic lift-off and the launch of the SpaceX (Space Docking Experiment) rocket, and for us, this is the 99th launch of any vehicle from Satish Dhawan Space Centre so, that is also a significant number. So, we are going for the 100th launch at the beginning of the next year", he added.
On Monday's PSLV-C60 mission, Somanath expressed hope that many more Space Docking Experiments would be taken up by the scientists in the coming days.
"It is an important mission with (India's) space sector reforms and expansion of space activities. There will be many more SpaDeX varieties including complex missions of docking systems in the coming days," he said.
Referring to the rescheduling of the PSLV-C60 rocket from the earlier planned 9.58 pm to 10 pm on December 30, Somanath said, scientists do a conjunction study to check whether a satellite going to an orbit comes very close to another satellite while travelling in the same orbit.
"If you find there is any proximity (between satellites), then we have to move the current satellite a little bit. Either, we delay it (the launch) or make it early, so that this proximity condition does not occur," he said.
Slow-motion liftoff and onboard views! 🚀✨
— ISRO (@isro) December 31, 2024
SpaDeX’s historic mission onboard PSLV-C60 delivers breathtaking visuals, showcasing India’s strides in space exploration. 🌌🛰️
📖 More info: https://t.co/jQEnGi3W2d#SpaDeX #ISRO 🚀
📍 @DrJitendraSingh pic.twitter.com/5eJ6FAiIxI
Scientists undertook time to fix the launch for the lift-off and decide on the best time which gives the maximum distance to be away from the other satellite in the orbit, he added.
ISRO successfully placed a navigation satellite onboard the GSLV-F12/NVS-01 rocket in May 2023. This GSLV rocket successfully deployed the NVS-01 navigation satellite, weighing about 2,232 kg into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The NVS-01 was the first of the second-generation satellites envisaged for the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) services.
Amit Shah Lauds SpaDeX Mission Success
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday lauded the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully launching the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission.
Bharat paces to become the fourth nation to master space docking.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 31, 2024
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. All my… pic.twitter.com/PFiGrIlTEt
The Home Minister said this was a grand success and opened a new path for the country's space docking technology. He wrote on X, "Bharat paces to become the fourth nation to master space docking. Kudos to Team@isro on the successful launch of the #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. All my best wishes to our geniuses for the journey ahead." (With inputs from agencies).
