India becomes fourth country to achieve space docking

India has become the fourth nation to complete an unmanned space docking, marking a significant milestone in the country’s growing space ambitions.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced the accomplishment on X, stating, “Spacecraft docking successfully completed! A historic moment.”

The mission, known as the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDex), involved two 220-kilogram spacecraft, dubbed Target and Chaser, which were launched into low-earth orbit on December 30 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Andhra Pradesh. On Thursday, the two spacecraft performed a precise rendezvous before docking successfully.

Congratulating the scientists, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X, “Congratulations to our scientists at ISRO and the entire space fraternity for the successful demonstration of space docking of satellites. It is a significant stepping stone for India’s ambitious space missions in the years to come.”

India now joins the United States, Russia, and China in mastering this sophisticated technology, which is vital for future endeavours such as satellite servicing, multi-launch missions, and interplanetary exploration.

Domestically developed docking capabilities will play a pivotal role in India’s aspirations to send an astronaut to the moon, construct an indigenous space station, and return lunar samples. 

ISRO highlighted that the technology allows the transfer of materials like payloads, lunar samples, and even humans between spacecraft.

The SpaDex mission will further test the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, a feature essential for operating in-space robotics, controlling spacecraft, and managing payloads during advanced missions.

Before the successful docking, a trial attempt on Sunday brought the spacecraft within three metres of each other before returning to a safe distance. 

However, technical challenges delayed the docking twice, on January 7 and 9, as engineers resolved issues related to unexpected spacecraft drift during manoeuvres.

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