ISRO Makes History with SpaDeX Satellite Docking

On Thursday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully carried out the docking of the SpaDeX satellites.

“India has etched its name in space history! Good Morning India, ISRO’s SpaDeX mission achieves a historic docking success. Proud to witness this moment!” ISRO shared in a post on ‘X’.

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The historic achievement occurred just days after the space agency, on January 12, brought the two spacecraft within three meters of each other before safely repositioning them during a trial docking attempt.

The Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission was successfully launched on December 30, 2024.

ISRO Achieves Historic Space Docking with SpaDeX Mission

ISRO shared the SpaDeX satellite docking process in a post on X, stating that it began with maneuvering from a 15m position to the 3m hold point.

Docking was then initiated with precision, resulting in a successful spacecraft capture. “Retraction was carried out smoothly, followed by rigidisation for stability. Docking was completed,” ISRO stated.

India became the fourth country to successfully complete a space docking, following the United States, Russia, and China.

After the docking, the space agency confirmed that controlling the two satellites as a single unit was successful. “Undocking and power transfer tests will be conducted in the coming days,” it added in a mission update.

PM Modi Hails ISRO’s Historic SpaDeX Achievement

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also praised ISRO and the entire space community for the success of the mission. “This marks a crucial milestone for India’s ambitious space endeavors in the future,” he stated in a post on X.

The PSLV C60 rocket, carrying two small satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), along with 24 payloads, launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

According to a PTI report, around 15 minutes after liftoff, the small spacecraft, each weighing approximately 220 kg, were deployed into a 475km circular orbit.

The national space agency stated that the SpaDeX mission is a cost-effective demonstration aimed at showcasing in-space docking using two small spacecraft launched by PSLV.

Docking technology is crucial in space for missions that involve multiple rocket launches working towards shared objectives.

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