Update: Two satellites can be successfully controlled as a single entity after docking. Checking the power transfer is one of the next tasks after undocking. The move from the 15-meter to the 3-meter hold point is finished. With careful docking, the spacecraft was successfully captured. Smooth retraction was followed by stability-enhancing rigidization. The docking process was successful. India became the fourth nation to successfully dock in space. The only other nations that have created and tested the docking capability are China, Russia, and the United States.
An important turning point in India’s space exploration capability has been reached with the successful completion of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The successful docking of two satellites, SDX01 (the Chaser) and SDX02 (the Target), at a height of 475 kilometers above Earth was announced by ISRO on January 16, 2025. After China, the United States, and Russia, India is now the fourth nation in the world to successfully dock a spacecraft.
The PSLV C60 rocket was used to launch the SpaDeX mission on December 30, 2024. The Chaser spacecraft approached the Target satellite from a starting distance of 20 kilometers, progressively narrowing the distance to barely 3 meters before docking, requiring a series of precise maneuvers. The entire procedure was
ISRO used its in-house Bhartiya Docking System (BDS), which is based on international standards but customized for India’s requirements, during the docking sequence. The spacecraft was captured and stabilized for future operations as part of a seamless maneuvering sequence that defined the successful docking.
Congratulating ISRO on this historic accomplishment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the mission’s significance as a precursor to future missions like Chandrayaan-4 and the Bharatiya Antariksha Station. In addition to showcasing India’s expanding space technology capabilities, the SpaDeX mission paves the way for future, more ambitious initiatives including satellite maintenance and human spaceflight.
In conclusion, the successful docking of the SpaDeX satellites by ISRO is a historic accomplishment that demonstrates India’s space technology breakthroughs and establishes the framework for further exploration projects.
