Manastu's spacecraft thrusters trigger somersault of POEM orbital platform

New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) Mumbai-based start-up Manastu Space's home-built green propulsion system has triggered a somersault of the PSLV Orbital Experiment Module (POEM) that is orbiting the earth at an altitude of 350 km with 24 different payloads, the company said on Wednesday.

The somersault of the POEM-4 platform took place over Port Blair on Monday afternoon, when the Vyom-2U thruster fired continuously for more than 120 seconds, imparting an angular velocity of 1.5 deg per second, Tushar Jadhav, founder and CEO of Manastu Space, told PTI.

The Vyom-2U thrusters, developed at the start-up founded by two IIT-Bombay alumni, will play a crucial role in steering the spacecraft in orbit and also in replacing carcinogenic propellants with green fuel.

The testing of the thrusters, dubbed as Mission Adyanta, symbolising infinity, has achieved a cumulative firing for more than 150 seconds in space and all critical components have performed flawlessly, the start-up said.

"With Vyom-2U still performing flawlessly, we are preparing to push the boundaries of what is possible in space propulsion within this very mission," Jadhav said.

The thrusters have spent more than 325 hours in space and completed 217 orbits around the earth as of Monday.

With the demonstration of the thrusters in space, Manastu said the technology is ready for commercialisation.

"Reaching TRL-8 underscores the maturity and reliability of our technology and marks a defining moment for sustainable space propulsion," Ashtesh Kumar, co-founder and chief technology officer, Manastu Space, said.

Kumar said the extensive space testing of the Vyom-2U propulsion system, withstanding approximately 400 hours in orbit, demonstrated its robustness and readiness for long-duration missions. PTI SKU RC