ISRO Mission: Sometimes completing a task requires child-like dedication. This is exactly what KID, one of the passengers of the PSLV-C62 mission that failed on Monday, said. When it was believed that the entire payload of PSLV was lost after the mission, on Tuesday, Spanish startup Orbital Paradigm reported that its Kestrel Initial Demonstrator (KID) capsule has not only separated from the spacecraft, but is also sending data.
The company understood this achievement of KID very well. Orbital Paradigm wrote in a post on social media platform X, our KID capsule separated from PSLV C62 despite all the difficulties. Not only did it run, it started sending data. We are rebuilding the trajectory. Full report will come soon.
Works to enable space industrialization
The company said it works to enable space industrialization. Its goal is to provide regular, efficient and accessible flights from orbit to Earth. This also includes designing a capsule that can withstand the high temperatures of re-entry. This ensures that such cargo journeys from space to Earth are relatively low cost.
What is KID?
The KID was a technology demonstrator and prototype of the company’s proposed vehicle kernel. Its objective is to bring a payload of 120 kg back to Earth from orbit. Francesco Cacciatore, co-founder and CEO of Orbital Paradigm, wrote before the mission that the purpose of sending KID to space is to take the company further towards mastering atmospheric re-entry. Unlike other mission phases it is not possible to accurately replicate on the ground all the conditions that arise during re-entry at one time.
Also read: Obnews Special: PSLV C62 launch fails, ISRO will have to learn serious lessons from the failure.
What went wrong with the mission?
The PSLV-C62 rocket had left for space carrying 16 satellites, including a foreign Earth observation satellite. It suffered a malfunction in the third stage of launch. ISRO informed that the rocket deviated from the flight path. Failed to place satellites in fixed orbit. This is the second consecutive time that the PSLV mission has failed due to a malfunction in the third stage. The payload also included a special tanker satellite, AyulSat and some satellites built by students along with Dhruva Space. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan has said that in the third stage of the flight, when the strap-on motors were providing thrust to take the PSLV-C62 to the prescribed altitude, the rocket developed a glitch and deviated from the flight path. Analysis has been started to find out the reasons for the malfunction in the rocket and deviating from its flight path.
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