In a major boost to India’s ambitious future space missions, the Indian Space Research Organisation or ISRO on Thursday successfully performed the docking of two satellites as part of the Space Docking Experiment, SpaDeX.

With the successful docking of satellites - Chaser and Target - India has become the fourth country after the US, Russia and China to accomplish the technological feat.

Docking is crucial for the building of international space stations. In this process different modules are sent up separately and then docked together in orbit.

This experiment is crucial for ISRO’s future missions, such as the Space station and landing an astronaut on the moon.

Spacecraft docking refers to the process where two spacecrafts connect while in orbit, allowing them to transfer crew supplies and power.

It involves bringing two spacecrafts, travelling at a speed of thousands of Kilometers per hour, into close proximity and then joining them together securely.

The milestone accomplished by ISRO’s SpaDex mission was launched on December 30 last year.

The achievement also enables India to participate in collaborative projects with other countries and enhances its capabilities for long-duration space travel.

Published on January 17, 2025