Ibadan, 3 January 2025. – Leaf Space, a provider of Ground Segment-as-a-Service (GSaaS) solutions, has announced its successful collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to support the SpaDeX satellites, PSLV launch vehicle tracking, and POEM-4 platform.
The mission underscores India’s advancements in space docking technology and other demonstrations, critical for future initiatives like the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) and upcoming lunar missions.
Following PSLV’s successful launch on December 30, 2024, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Leaf Space’s stations established communication links with the two SpaDeX satellites and the POEM-4 platform. As a result, it enabled real-time telemetry reception from the PSLV launch vehicle and telemetry, command operations, and continuous monitoring of the satellites.
ISRO’s SpaDeX mission primarily intends to develop and demonstrate the technology necessary for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two 220-kilogram spacecraft (SDX01, the Chaser, and SDX02, the Target, nominally) in a low-Earth 470km circular orbit. Beyond showcasing docking and undocking capabilities, the mission also aims to validate power transfer between docked spacecraft.
The POEM-4 mission also leveraged the spent fourth stage of the PSLV as an orbital platform to host 24 experimental payloads, including demonstrations of robotic arms, green propulsion, and biosciences.
“We are proud to support ISRO’s pioneering missions. Our collaboration reflects our dedication to enabling innovative space missions and contributing to the critical technologies shaping the future of space exploration,” remarked Cristina Zanchi, CEO of Leaf Space. Furthermore, this mission deepens Leaf Space’s longstanding partnership with ISRO, and the company is glad to support ISRO’s efforts to advance space exploration.
