India becomes 4th country to achieve space docking with historic SpaDeX mission; PM Modi lauds ISRO
ISRO successfully completed the docking of the SpaDeX satellites on Thursday after bringing them as close as 3 meters to each other. The docking followed missed attempts on January 7 and 9 due to technical issues.
FollowAfter bringing the two satellites as close as 3 meters to each other, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed the docking process of the SpaDeX satellites on Thursday, according to sources. ISRO had previously missed two docking attempts on January 7 and 9 due to technical difficulties. The satellites were launched by ISRO on December 30.
On January 12, ISRO announced that a trial attempt to bring the two satellites within 15 meters and then 3 meters of each other had been successfully completed.
"Manoeuvre from 15m to 3m hold point completed. Docking initiated with precision, leading to successful spacecraft capture. Retraction completed smoothly, followed by rigidisation for stability. Docking successfully completed. India became the 4th country to achieve successful Space Docking," ISRO said.
The delay in the SpaDeX docking schedules coincided with the announcement of a leadership change at ISRO. On January 7, the Central government appointed V Narayanan as the new director of ISRO, and he officially assumed the position on January 14.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media X platform and congratulated the ISRO team for the successful demonstration of space docking of satellites.
The SpaDeX (Space Docking Exercise) mission is designed as a technology demonstrator to showcase the ability to dock two small satellites, which were launched by the PSLV on December 30.
Chandrayaan-4 is expected to be India's first mission that will require docking capability. This mission aims to bring lunar samples back to Earth. The re-entry module, designed to endure the heat of atmospheric re-entry, will be launched separately. The transfer module, which will carry the lunar samples, will dock with the re-entry module as it enters Earth's atmosphere.
The docking technology will also play a crucial role in the establishment of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, with the first module scheduled for launch in 2028. The station will consist of five modules, which will be launched separately and docked in space. ISRO's human mission to the Moon, which will require similar docking capabilities, is not expected before 2040.
On December 30, ISRO launched two small spacecraft — SDX01, the Chaser, and SDX02, the Target — into a low-Earth circular orbit. The spacecraft were initially separated by about 20 km, allowing for a gradual approach before their final docking.
In the mission, after the initial 20 km separation between the two satellites, the Chaser satellite gradually closed the distance to the Target satellite in stages: 5 km, 1.5 km, 500 m, 225 m, 15 m, and finally 3 m, leading to the successful docking of the two spacecraft.
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