A Historic Achievement for India! Satellites are Successfully Landed in Orbit by ISRO

With the successful docking of its SpaDeX satellites in space, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has created history.
With the accomplishment earlier today, India is now the fourth country in the world to have rendezvous, docking, and undocking capabilities.
Two satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), each weighing about 220 kg, were used in the intricate process.
ISRO Details the Docking Process
The Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota launched the SpaDeX mission on the PSLV C60 rocket on December 30, 2024.
Initially, the satellites were positioned in a circular orbit of 475 kilometres. After making a number of manoeuvres, they successfully docked after reducing their initial 1.5-kilometer separation to barely three meters.
In a post on X, ISRO explained, “Control of two satellites as a single object is successful after docking.”
ISRO Overcomes Technical Challenges to Achieve Docking
The docking was originally scheduled for January 7 and then January 9, but ISRO had to postpone it due to technical difficulties.
On January 11, it made the same effort but was cancelled just before docking.
Nevertheless, the organisation verified both spacecraft were healthy and prepared for the docking procedure following thorough assessments and modifications.
Successful Docking Marks a Milestone for India
The successful docking is being hailed as a significant turning point in India’s space exploration goals.
The accomplishment places India among the world’s leading space technology companies and is essential for future projects like the construction of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) and lunar exploration.
With this historic accomplishment, India joins a select group of countries that have perfected in-space docking technology, which includes the US, Russia, and China.
Docking Technology Paves way for Future Space Missions
For complicated missions requiring numerous spacecraft to cooperate, autonomous docking must be shown successfully.
This paves the way for India’s potential crewed lunar missions by 2040 and its future in deep space exploration.
Further showcasing ISRO’s engineering skill, the docking procedure was completed utilising the locally created Bhartiya Docking System.
PM Modi Congratulates ISRO on Successful Docking
For the successful demonstration of satellite docking in orbit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed ISRO scientists and the whole space community.
He continued, “It is a significant stepping stone for India’s ambitious space missions in the years to come.”
After docking, ISRO verified that two spacecraft could be successfully controlled as a single entity. In the days that follow, undocking and power transfer checks will be conducted.