mangalore today

Docking of satellites as part of SpaDeX performed successfully: ISRO


Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, January 16, 2025: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed the docking process of a satellite manoeuvre in space on Thursday. With the development, India has become the fourth country to master the complex technologies that are crucial for its future missions, such as the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and landing an astronaut on the moon.

In an X post, the Indian space agency wrote, “Spacecraft docking successfully completed! A historic moment. Let’s walk through the SpaDeX docking process: Manoeuvre from 15m to 3m hold point completed. Docking initiated with precision, leading to successful spacecraft capture. Retraction completed smoothly, followed by rigidisation for stability. Docking successfully completed."


ISRO


“India became the 4th country to achieve successful Space Docking. Congratulations to the entire team! Congratulations to India!," it added.


 
“SpaDeX Docking Update: Post docking, control of two satellites as a single object is successful. Undocking and power transfer checks to follow in the coming days," it wrote in another post.


Later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the scientists of ISRO for the successful docking process. He also termed the development “a significant stepping stone for India."

“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," PM Modi wrote on X.



On January 12, ISRO said the two satellites launched to perform space docking experiments were brought within three metres and then moved safely back in a trial attempt.

The space agency also said the docking process would be done after analysing the data further.

“A trial attempt to reach up to 15 metres and further to three metres is done. Moving back spacecraft to a safe distance. The docking process will be done after analysing data further," ISRO said in a post on X.

The Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) project has missed two announced schedules for docking experiments on January 7 and January 9.

ISRO launched the mission on December 30.

The PSLV C60 rocket, carrying two small satellites — SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target) — along with 24 payloads, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. About 15 minutes later, the two small spacecraft weighing about 220 kilogrammes each were launched into a 475-kilometre circular orbit, as intended.

The SpaDeX project is a cost-effective technology demonstrator mission for the demonstration of in-space docking using small spacecraft, according to ISRO.

In-space docking technology is essential when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve common mission objectives.