India has joined an elite group of nations by achieving successful space docking, becoming the fourth country globally to accomplish this milestone. On Thursday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the success of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), marking a historic achievement in India’s space program.
The SpaDeX docking process involved precise manoeuvres from a 15-metre distance to a 3-metre hold point, resulting in the successful capture of two spacecraft. Following this, retraction and rigidisation were smoothly completed, ensuring stability for the docked spacecraft. ISRO announced, “Following docking, the control of both satellites as a single entity has been successfully established. Undocking and power transfer assessments are scheduled for the coming days.”
Union Minister Jitendra Singh hailed the achievement, emphasizing its importance for future missions like the Bharatiya Antriksha Station (Indian Space Station), Chandrayaan-4, and Gaganyaan. “SPADEX has accomplished the unbelievable. It’s all indigenous—Bharatiya Docking System,” he remarked.
SpaDeX, launched aboard PSLV-C60 on December 30, aims to develop and demonstrate key technologies for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. These technologies are critical for future space missions, including in-space robotics, composite spacecraft control, and power-sharing capabilities between docked spacecraft.
This accomplishment sets a solid foundation for India’s ambitious space exploration goals and reinforces ISRO’s growing capabilities in advanced space technologies.