ISRO's dust detector has spotted IDPs: What are they?
What's the story
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced a major breakthrough with its home-made dust detector, the Dust EXperiment (DEX). The instrument has successfully detected Interplanetary Dust Particles (IDPs), tiny remnants from comets and asteroids that contribute to Earth's "meteor layer." These particles are often visible as shooting stars in the night sky. DEX was launched aboard the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) in 2024.
Instrument capabilities
DEX's role in understanding cosmic dust
Developed by ISRO's Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad, DEX is designed to detect high-speed IDPs and their impacts. The instrument recorded signals of orbital debris impacts between January 1 and February 9, 2024. This confirmed its ability to detect such events. The detector registered several hits while skimming Earth's atmosphere at a 9.5-degree inclination, detecting a cosmic invader every 1,000 seconds.
Technical specifications
Design and mission
Weighing just 3kg, DEX uses a hypervelocity principle to detect high-speed space dust impacts with only 4.5W power consumption. The instrument was launched on the POEM of the PSLV-C58 XPoSat mission on January 1, 2024, reaching an altitude of 350km. It recently provided observations of IDPs entering Earth's atmosphere, confirming their constant bombardment from outer space.
Future applications
Potential for future space missions
The Earth-orbiting DEX could provide the first direct measurements of IDPs in the unexplored atmospheres of Venus and Mars. It could also give new measurements around the Moon. This data is critical not just for scientific understanding but also for assessing risks to satellites, and ensuring safety in future manned missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.