New ISRO space docking video released, it captures historic event that put India in elite club of nations: WATCH
ISRO SpaDex space docking mission: ISRO released a video showing the coupling of the satellites in the space. It was followed by new ISRO Chairperson V Narayanan greeting the space agency team which made it a success.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) released a video of the successful docking experiment involving two satellites as part of its Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) on Friday.
The ISRO "successfully" completed docking of two SPADEX satellites (SDX-01 & SDX-02) in the early hours of January, 16, 2025. This made India part of "the elite club of nations’ — becoming the fourth country after the US, Russia and China to achieve space-docking technology.
Following the achievement, the ISRO released a video showing the coupling of the satellites in the space. It was followed by new ISRO Chairperson V Narayanan greeting the space agency team which made it a success.
"ISRO successfully completed docking of two SPADEX satellites (SDX-01 & SDX-02) in the early hours of January 16, 2025," the space agency said in the caption for the video it released on 'X'.
The SpaDeX mission was launched on December 30. It aimed to showcase India's technological prowess in spacecraft rendezvous, docking, and undocking.
The docking process was executed with exceptional precision. The spacecraft manoeuvred seamlessly from the 15-metre to the 3-meter hold point, initiating docking with accuracy and leading to successful spacecraft capture.
The ISRO said on Thursday that “spacecraft docking [has been] successfully completed". The Indian space agency, in a social media post, deemed it as an “historic moment”.
“India became the 4th country to achieve successful Space Docking. Congratulations to the entire team! Congratulations to India!” ISRO posted on X.
Why is ‘docking’ essential?
ISRO said that in space, docking technology is essential when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve common mission objectives.
The docking experiment is crucial for the smooth conduct of the country's ambitious future missions, including Chandrayaan-4, Gaganyaan, setting up a space station and landing an astronaut on the moon.
ISRO has also said that the undocking and power transfer checks will follow in coming days.
Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology and Earth Science Jitender Singh said Friday that an Indian Space station would be established by 2035 and the successful docking of satellites through SpaDex is a major breakthrough in that direction.
Speaking during his visit to Shimla IMD station, the minister was quoted by PTI as saying Bhartiya Antriksh Station is essential for docking of satellites in future.
Last October, the government announced that India will have its own Space Station by 2035, known as the "Bharatiya Antriksh Station".
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Business NewsScienceNew ISRO space docking video released, it captures historic event that put India in elite club of nations: WATCH
First Published:18 Jan 2025, 07:34 AM IST
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