New Delhi: The country has come of age in space technology with the completion of the SpaDeX mission making it the fourth nation in the world to reach this milestone. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) docked two satellites in space: one was 'chaser' and another was called 'target' nearly five hundred kilometers above gravitational pull where satellites were performing high-speed formation flying at a speed of 28,800 kilometers per hour, which is ten times faster than a bullet.
De-docking, performed after docking on 16th of January, 2025, was a much longer affair on the 13th of March and proved to be India's capability in space technologies. All of this happened for within Rs. 300 crore with almost complete indigenous systems using the Bharatiya Docking System attached to a satellite. This milestone indeed adds a significant feather on ISRO's cap, further cementing its preeminence in undertaking low-cost, high-value space missions.
Though the experiment of transferring electrical power from one satellite to the other was aborted due to some minor misalignment, ISRO is hopeful for this to be done in the next docking, which could be in May. The SpaDeX mission provides rendezvous with docking demonstration technology that very well may prolong the life of space vehicles and facilitate future missions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Science Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh praised ISRO for the monumental achievement of this mission, dubbing it a significant stride for India's ambitious space missions.
[Source Credit: NDTV]
