Last year, ISRO was slated to launch the 'Bikini' satellite for European startup 'The Exploration Company' aboard the PSLV rocket. This spacecraft was designed to re-enter the atmosphere, venturing 500 km into space and then returning to Earth.
Now, the contract with ISRO is cancelled. Bikini will instead be launched from France using an Arianespace's Ariane-6 rocket. The crux of the matter was the mismatch of schedules with ISRO's PSLV rocket.
Source: aajtak
The initial plan was to launch the satellite in January 2024. However, PSLV could not proceed with the mission solo as it required additional satellites for the batch. Hence, the mission faced delays. According to the European company, Bikini is their re-entry demonstrator, completed within 9 months in the year 2022.
Here was the plan to launch Bikini
Bikini was to be deployed by the PSLV 500 km above Earth. Then, it would return, undergoing many tests throughout its re-entry trajectory, ultimately splashing down in the ocean. Bikini, weighing 40 kg, aims to enable delivery in space.
Source: aajtak
The Exploration Company envisages using their Bikini spacecraft for space deliveries. Success in the re-entry mission could open up a new era for other commercial flights, offering space delivery services at an affordable cost.
Initially, this mission was entrusted to the European company Arianespace. However, India's NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) managed to secure the deal due to delays in the development of the Ariane 6 rocket. Now the deal has reverted back as PSLV's timeline was not aligning.
Source: aajtak
Utilization of POEM in the mission
The data from this mission would enable the Exploration Company to develop better re-entry and recovery technology in the future. PSLV's PS-4 stage, recently used for the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM), would have been part of the mission.
POEM now conducts experiments while orbiting Earth. Bikini would have been attached atop of PS-4, to ensure no impact on the main mission since Bikini lacks a propulsion system. After achieving the desired altitude, PS-4 would detach.
Bikini is essentially a smaller version of the company's larger reusable re-entry module, Nyx, and this mission was a limited-scale trial for the more substantial missions planned ahead.
