The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Thursday that India has successfully achieved space docking, becoming the fourth country in the world to do so. The docking was part of the SpaDeX mission, a significant milestone for India’s space exploration program.
“The process involved maneuvering from a 15-meter to a 3-meter hold point, followed by precise docking, retraction, and rigidisation for stability. “Docking successfully completed,” ISRO announced.
Post-docking, ISRO reported that control of the two satellites as a single object was successfully established. The organization also noted that undocking and power transfer checks would follow in the coming days.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated ISRO on its historic achievement of successfully docking two satellites, calling the success of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) a crucial step for India’s future space missions. “Congratulations to ISRO scientists and the space community for this landmark achievement,” he posted on X.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also celebrated the achievement, describing it as a key development for India’s future space missions. “Finally made it. SPADEX has accomplished the unbelievable… docking complete… and it is all indigenous ‘Bharatiya Docking System,’” Singh wrote on X. He emphasized that this success would pave the way for future ambitious missions, including the Bharatiya Antriksha Station (Indian Space Station) and Chandrayaan-4. Singh also credited the continuous support from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India’s space advancements.
The SpaDeX mission, led by project director N. Surendran, was designed to demonstrate the technology required for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. Surendran explained that the docking mechanism would be crucial for future high-profile projects such as the Indian Space Station and Chandrayaan-4, both of which will require similar technology for their success.
The SpaDeX mission also aimed to showcase the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, a technology that will be vital for in-space robotics, spacecraft control, and payload operations following undocking.
On December 30, ISRO had launched the PSLV-C60 rocket carrying SpaDeX along with other innovative payloads. With this latest achievement, India joins the ranks of only three other countries—Russia, the United States, and China—that have successfully conducted space docking.
