Article Posted on : - Mar 10, 2025

Eight cowpea seeds sent by the ISRO aboard PSLV-C60 POEM-4 platform are seen, which have germinated under microgravity conditions within four days of the launch of the mission. The space agency sent eight cowpea seeds as part of the Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies (CROPS) experiment conducted by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) to study plant growth in microgravity conditions. Photo: PTI.

BENGALURU (PTI): ISRO on Friday announced that the fourth edition of the PSLV Orbital platform Experiment Module (POEM-4), the repurposed spent upper stage of the PSLV vehicle used for the space docking experiment mission, has successfully completed 1,000 orbits on March 4.

The PSLV-C60 Mission was launched on December 30, 2024, and POEM-4 began its operations subsequent to the successful injection of the SPADEX spacecraft, it stated.

In a statement, ISRO said, "POEM-4 was configured as a three-axis stabilised platform that carried 24 payloads including 10 payloads from Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) and 14 payloads from ISRO. All the payloads including those from NGEs have completed the intended experiments in orbit."

According to ISRO, POEM-4 carried out experiments in space robotics, germination of seeds and growth of bacterium in microgravity, green propulsion, laser ignition of pyro thrusters, amateur radio transmission and advanced sensors.

A space start-up also tested the uplinking and execution of an AI model as part of an AI lab in space.

"The POEM-4 avionics system also validated a Mission Management Computer based on a 'Made-in-India' 32-bit processor, Vikram3201, with a custom architecture developed by ISRO along with the use of a Nano star sensor for the first time to aid the navigation system," it stated.

The platform utilised a reaction wheel-based stabilisation system for attitude control, along with cold gas thrusters that extended the module’s orbital life by at least 45 days compared to previous POEM missions, the space agency stated.

POEM-4 carried the highest number of payloads among all POEM missions so far, reaffirming its versatility as a cost-effective experimental platform for diverse payloads, the statement added.