Overview
- Built by PRL in Ahmedabad, the 3 kg DEX instrument uses hypervelocity impact sensing with a 140° field of view while drawing about 4.5 W.
- Flown on the PSLV-C58 XPoSat mission’s POEM platform at roughly 350 km altitude, it logged clear impact signals from January 1 to February 9, 2024.
- ISRO reports frequent hits at about one every 17 minutes, with measured dust flux reaching roughly 6.5 × 10^-3 m^-2 s^-1 during tests.
- The agency says the results inform erosion and impact risk assessments for satellites and planning for crewed missions, including Gaganyaan.
- ISRO and PRL describe DEX as a blueprint for direct dust measurements at Venus and Mars and for new surveys in the lunar environment.