Space Milestone: India’s Robotic Arm Activates on POEM-4

New Delhi, January 4:

In a significant milestone for India's space exploration, ISRO has announced that the country's first space robotic arm, the Relocatable Robotic Manipulator-Technology Demonstrator (RRM-TD), has successfully activated aboard the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM-4). This groundbreaking achievement is a proud testament to India's growing capabilities in space robotics, as part of the Make in India initiative.

ISRO shared the milestone on X

, stating: RRM -TD, India's first space robotic arm, is in action onboard POEM4! A proud Make In India milestone in space robotics.

The RRM-TD, developed by the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IISU), is India’s first space robotic manipulator with walking capabilities. Known as the Walking Robotic Arm, this advanced device features a seven-degree-of-freedom (DoF) arm capable of moving across the POEM-4 platform using inch-worm walking to target defined positions. It demonstrates key advancements in space robotics, including a large workspace for in-orbit servicing and advanced obstacle-aware motion planning.

The RRM-TD experiment will lay the foundation for future technologies on the proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS). It will showcase capabilities such as end-on-end walking, microgravity operation, vision-based 6-DoF pose estimation, robotic manipulation via visual servoing, and tele-operation. The technology also features an integrated system for power and data transfer, as well as a high-compute processor with advanced software for handling operations in the harsh environment of space.

On December 30, 2024, ISRO successfully launched the PSLV C60 mission, which deployed

POEM-4

along with its payloads into orbit. The mission aims to test docking technology, with the primary goal of testing docking capabilities between two satellites: a chaser and a target. Although the docking experiment is scheduled for January 7, 2025, POEM-4 has already reached its intended altitude and is functioning as expected, with promising prospects for the mission’s success.

With this successful demonstration, ISRO further cements its position as a global leader in space technology and robotic innovation.