ISRO trial for historic space docking, Satellites close in till 3 metres

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Bengaluru, Jan 12, 2025: Two Indian satellites came as close as three metres in a trial attempt for space docking and are now moving back, the Indian space agency said this morning. The satellites will then move closer to each other at a speed of 10 millimeters per second.

"A trial attempt to reach up to 15 m and further to 3 m is done. Moving back spacecrafts to safe distance. The docking process will be done after analysing data further," the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in its latest update on the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission.

Docking is a very complex process with the satellites being moved back and forth to achieve what ISRO has described as an "exciting handshake" of the two satellites in space. India is using the indigenously developed Bhartiya Docking System to achieve this feat.

The SpaDeX mission was launched on December 30 with the satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), being lifted off on board a PSLV C60 rocket and placed into a 475-kilometre circular orbit.