The space agency announced on Friday that the two Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) satellites, which are currently 1.5 km apart, will be brought much closer on January 11. Two publicly stated dates for the SpaDeX space docking experiment have already been missed: January 7 and January 9.
Only three other nations—the US, Russia, and China—have mastered the difficult process of docking in space thus far.
Dr. S. Somanath, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), has declared that India’s ambitious space docking experiment, called the SpaDeX mission, is back on track. He affirmed that after successful maneuvers to overcome earlier obstacles, the docking of two satellites could take place in the upcoming days.
However, ISRO’s Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), which was originally planned for January 7 and then January 9, 2025, has been postponed twice. In light of these setbacks, ISRO has chosen to finish the docking process before announcing the event to the public. A senior official stated that the docking is “on track” but will now take place without prior public notice, which led to this change in strategy.
Currently separated by 1.5 km, the two satellites are in “hold mode” and should drift closer to 500 meters by tomorrow morning. This modification is a part of the meticulously planned process that leads to docking.
