On Thursday, India became the fourth nation in the world to achieve space docking, marking a significant technological breakthrough and reinforcing its ambitions to capture a larger share of the burgeoning $400-billion global space industry. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted the docking experiment, SpaDeX, using two refrigerator-sized satellites, Target and Chaser.
“Manoeuvre from 15m to 3m hold point completed,” ISRO announced on the social media platform X. “Docking initiated with precision, leading to successful spacecraft capture.”
This technology, developed by ISRO, is pivotal for satellite servicing, space station operations, and interplanetary missions that require in-orbit assembly of satellites and other space assets, further solidifying India’s position as a rising power in space exploration.
ISRO’s latest achievement paves the way for India to take on the more challenging task of launching its crewed space mission, a project known as Gaganyaan. According to the agency’s website, its uncrewed test flight is scheduled for 2025, with a crewed mission following in 2026. The mission will also show that electric power can be transferred between docked spacecraft, an essential capability for applications like in-space robotics and composite spacecraft control.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the ISRO team on its accomplishment, saying in a post on X that it was an “important stepping stone for India’s ambitious space missions.” Astrophysicist Jayant Murthy told CNN that this indigenous technology is essential for satellite servicing, space station operations, and interplanetary missions. India has ambitious missions planned, and to achieve those, this is an important technology.”
The two satellites involved in the Space Docking Experiment were launched into orbit on Dec. 30 from India’s main spaceport using a rocket called PSLV C60. The SDX01 and SDX02 pair were maneuvered into position for the docking demonstration, which is scheduled to conclude with power transfer checks over the next few days. ISRO will now manage the two spacecraft as a single entity and use them for experiments, including the growth of crops in microgravity conditions. Eight cowpea seeds were sent to space to study plant growth in the absence of gravity and germinated within four days, ISRO reported.
The SpaceX mission, launched from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh state, was delayed twice, first because it needed additional validation through ground simulations and then to address an issue involving excess drift between the two satellites. The docking operation was conducted by a robot arm attached to one of the spacecraft, which performed a series of complicated maneuvers to reach the correct position and then latch onto the other satellite. The two satellites will stay in orbit for a few weeks as ISRO conducts additional tests. They will eventually be separated before the next spacecraft rendezvous, a spacecraft called Bharatiya Antariksha Station, which is expected to be ready for launch by 2035. That station will be used for astronaut training and the testing of systems required for a future mission to the moon.