ISRO achieves historic satellite docking, joins elite space club
Bengaluru: In a landmark achievement that positions India among global space powers, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted its first-ever satellite docking operation on Thursday as part of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX). The organisation also confirmed successful control of the two satellites as a single unit post-docking.
The historic accomplishment makes India only the fourth nation globally, after the United States, Russia, and China, to master this critical space technology. The successful demonstration represents a crucial stepping stone for India’s ambitious future space initiatives, including the Chandrayaan-4 lunar mission, the Gaganyaan human spaceflight program, and the planned “Bharatiya Antriksh Station” space station targeted for 2035.
“India docked its name in space history!” ISRO announced triumphantly on the social media platform X, marking the momentous achievement. The mission involved two satellites, designated as Chaser and Target, demonstrating precise manoeuvring and docking capabilities in orbit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the scientific community, stating, “This is a significant stepping stone for India’s ambitious space missions in the years to come.” He praised ISRO scientists and the entire space fraternity for their achievement in demonstrating the complex space docking technology.
Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science, Technology and Space, celebrated the success on X, emphasising the indigenous nature of the achievement: “SPADEX has accomplished the unbelievable... docking complete... and it is all indigenous ‘Bharatiya Docking System.’”
The successful demonstration followed a careful approach to the operation. On January 12, ISRO conducted a trial run, bringing the two spacecraft to within three meters of each other before safely separating them. The actual mission began on December 30, 2024, when the PSLV C60 rocket launched the two experimental satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), each weighing approximately 220 kg, into a 475-km circular orbit. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan extended his congratulations to the team behind the successful mission, while Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described it as a “collective achievement for the nation” and praised the exceptional work of ISRO’s scientists and space engineers. The mastery of satellite docking technology is particularly crucial for complex space missions that require multiple launches to achieve their objectives. This capability will be essential for India’s future space station operations, deep space missions, and potential lunar landing missions involving human crews.
ISRO confirmed that post-docking operations are proceeding as planned, with successful control of the two satellites as a single object achieved. The space agency will conduct additional tests in the coming days, including undocking operations and power transfer checks between the spacecraft.
According to ISRO, the SpaDeX mission is a cost-effective technology demonstrator mission for the demonstration of in-space docking using two small spacecraft that were launched by PSLV.
