BENGALURU: As ISRO gears up for the ambitious space docking experiment, scheduled for Tuesday, the space agency and multiple startups that sent payloads on the PSLV Orbital Experiment Platform (POEM) have reported success. However, two key payloads from educational institutions — spinach sent by Amity University, Mumbai, and gut bacteria sent by RVCE in Bengaluru — are yet to be analysed.
“Life sprouts in space! VSSC’s CROPS (Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies) experiment successfully sprouted cowpea seeds in four days. Leaves expected soon… India’s first space robotic arm onboard POEM4 is a proud make-in-India milestone in space robotics,” Isro said.
CROPS is a multi-phase platform designed to demonstrate seed germination and plant sustenance until the two-leaf stage in a microgravity environment. The robotic arm ISRO refers to is the Relocatable Robotic Manipulator-Technology Demonstrator (RRM-TD) or the walking robotic arm. With the ability to relocate itself to target positions through inch-worm motion, this arm will assist in in-orbit servicing in the future.
Startups Bellatrix, NSpace, Manastu, and PierSight reported success. Bengaluru’s Bellatrix said its Rudra, the high-performance green propulsion system, fired flawlessly. All subsystems used in the propulsion system are 100% made at Bellatrix — a remarkable and challenging success.
NSpace Tech, another startup, said its SwetchaSAT-V0 payload — an indigenously developed ultra-high frequency (UHF) communication system — successfully transmitted data. Founded in 2020 by Divya and Raghuram Kothamasu, NSpace specialises in satellite communication systems.
Manastu Space successfully tested its green propulsion system aboard Vyom 2U, with a 30-second firing that tilted the platform by 24 degrees, achieving an angular velocity of 0.5° per second before stabilising.
Santosh Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, Amity University, Mumbai, told TOI: “The payload is healthy as per the data we received from ISRO. We are yet to receive and analyse the data on its performance. We are confident of it achieving its goals.” Representatives from RVCE also confirmed that the payload was healthy. They too are awaiting analysis of data on its performance.
