In a landmark move, space technology entrepreneurs Dhruva Space, Bellatrix Aerospace, and TM2Space are set to launch their payloads on the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) forthcoming Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) - C58 XPoSat Mission on January 1, 2024. The payloads will be carried aboard the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM-3) during the launch from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, planned for 9.10 a.m.

 

This will be ISRO's first X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite mission. Over its five-year lifespan, India's XPoSat mission will assess the orientation of vibrations in light waves, providing insights into the radiation mechanisms and geometry of celestial sources, as per hindustantimes.

 

Dhruva Space, based in Hyderabad, will display its LEAPTD (Launching Expeditions for Aspiring Technologies Technology Demonstrator), which will demonstrate microsatellite subsystems.

 

Bellatrix Aerospace, based in Bengaluru, intends to launch two payloads, including the Rudra 0.3 HPGP green monopropellant thruster and another thruster type, the ARKA 200. Satellite propulsion systems, often known as thrusters, are the engines that keep satellites in orbit for the duration of their operational lifetime, which is normally between 10 and 15 years.

 

Bellatrix and Dhruva Space used space in the POEM module of PSLV-C55 to launch their individual payloads in April 2023.

 

TakeMe2Space, commonly known as TM2Space, based in Bengaluru, will deploy the Radiation Shielding Experiments Module, with the goal of evaluating the effectiveness of tantalum coating. According to TM2Space, the radiation shielding coating is claimed to increase the longevity of CubeSats, a type of nanosatellite.

 

“India’s space economy today stands at a modest 8 billion USD, but our own projection is that by 2040 it will multiply manifold. But more interestingly, according to some international observers, for example the recent ADL (Arthur D Little) Report, India has the potential of reaching a 100 billion USD space economy by 2040,” he said.