ISRO Docks Satellites Under SpaDeX Mission
India becomes 4th country after the US, Russia and China to accomplish the feat
V Narayanan, Secretary DOS, Chairman, Space Commission, and Chairman ISRO, congratulates the team ISRO, after successfully docked its SpaDeX satellites in space, making India the 4th country in the world to possess rendezvous, docking, and undocking capabilities
Bengaluru: ISRO on Thursday successfully performed the docking of satellites as part of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) and the space agency also announced that post docking, control of two satellites as a single object was successful. ISRO informed the merging of two small spacecraft - SDX01, the Chaser, and SDX02, the Target - weighing about 220 kg each. The satellites were lifted off aboard the PSLV-C60 rocket, from Sriharikota on December 30.
“India docked its name in space history! Good Morning India ISRO’s SpaDeX mission accomplishes historic docking success. Proud to witness this moment!” ISRO said in a post on ‘X’.
With the successful docking of satellites, India has become the fourth country after the US, Russia and China to accomplish the feat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a post on ‘X’ greeted the scientists for the achievement. He said: “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.” Further, ISRO said: “Post docking, control of two satellites as a single object is successful.”
