From docking to Gaganyaan tests to private PSLV: A packed year ahead for ISRO | Technology News

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From docking to Gaganyaan tests to private PSLV: A packed year ahead for ISRO | Technology News

After ending 2024 on a high by commencing its key Space Docking Experiment (SpaDex), ISRO is set to see an action-packed 2025: from launching the first privately built PSLV to preparing for the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.

On Tuesday, Union MoS for Space Dr Jitendra Singh said the year will begin with the docking activity of the SpaDex mission. “It is scheduled for January 7 forenoon,” he said.

The docking experiment will be followed by the launch of NVS-02 in January itself. The NVS-02 is a replacement satellite for the seven-satellite NavIC, India’s regional equivalent of the GPS.

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The much-awaited NISAR, a first-of-its-kind Earth-observation cmission between ISRO and NASA, has been scheduled for second quarter, MoS Singh said.

The PSLV N1, India’s workhorse launch vehicle manufactured privately by HAL and L&T consortium, is likely to be launched in the first quarter.

With Gaganyaan’s final crewed flight likely in first half of 2026, ISRO will be conducting at least two key launches in preparation this year. In first quarter, it plans to carry out the first uncrewed flight with the robotic ‘Vyommitra’ in it.

The second test vehicle mission will validate performance of crew escape system.

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme.

Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports.

Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan.

She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times.

When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. … Read More