The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) marked a historic achievement on Thursday by successfully completing the docking process of its Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) satellites.
“India docked its name in space history! Good Morning India. ISRO’s SpaDeX mission accomplished historic docking success. Proud to witness this moment!” ISRO announced in a celebratory post on X.
SpaDeX Docking Update:
Post docking, control of two satellites as a single object is successful.
Undocking and power transfer checks to follow in coming days.
— ISRO (@isro) January 16, 2025
A Giant Leap for Indian Space Missions
This was just five days after the ISRO reportedly successfully brought two spacecraft to three meters distance on January 12 in a dry run. Following this, it safely put them back at some distance from one another, marking its precision capability in docking satellites.
The SpaDeX mission was successfully launched on December 30, 2024, with two small satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target). Each satellite weighed approximately 220 kilograms. Subsequently, the PSLV-C60 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, placed the satellites into a 475 km circular orbit.
How ISRO Made Space Docking Possible
In a detailed post on X, ISRO explained the docking process. The maneuver began with reducing the distance between the two satellites from 15 meters to a three-meter hold point. After that, docking was initiated with extreme precision, which led to the successful capture of the spacecraft.
“Retraction completed smoothly, followed by rigidization for stability. Docking successfully completed,” ISRO confirmed.
This achievement puts India alongside the United States, Russia, and China as the only nations that have successfully completed space docking.
A Historic Milestone
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated ISRO on its groundbreaking success. “This is a significant stepping stone for India’s ambitious space missions in the years to come,” he said in a post on X.
Congratulations to our scientists at @isro and the entire space fraternity for the successful demonstration of space docking of satellites. It is a significant stepping stone for India’s ambitious space missions in the years to come.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 16, 2025
Post docking, ISRO gained full control over the two satellites together. The space agency later announced that the later exercises would involve undocking and testing for power transfer, thus propelling India’s space drive further.
The Need and Significance of SpaDeX
The SpaDeX mission is, in fact, a cost-effective demonstrator of the docking technology between two small spacecraft. Moreover, this docking technology is crucial for any mission that involves multiple rocket launches toward common objectives, such as assembling space stations or refueling spacecraft.
With SpaDeX, ISRO has paved a new way forward for India’s future space missions and reestablished its global position as a space power.
