On Thursday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) completed the docking of two satellites as part of its Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX). In a post on ‘X’, ISRO expressed its excitement about this achievement, saying, “India has made its mark in space history! Good morning, India! ISRO’s SpaDeX mission has achieved historic success in satellite docking.”
Previously, on January 12, ISRO conducted a trial where they brought the two spacecraft within three meters of each other before moving them back to a safe distance.
The SpaDeX mission was launched successfully on December 30, 2024. The PSLV C60 rocket carried two small satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), along with 24 other payloads. Approximately 15 minutes after liftoff from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, both satellites, each weighing around 220 kg, were placed into a circular orbit at an altitude of 475 km.
ISRO describes the SpaDeX mission as a cost-effective technology demonstration for in-space docking using the two small spacecraft launched by PSLV. This docking technology is crucial for missions that require multiple rocket launches to achieve shared objectives.
