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Published on
April 21, 2025
5 min read
ISRO’s SpaDeX Mission Success: India Achieves Second Successful Satellite Docking
Under SpaDeX mission, ISRO successfully achieved its second satellite docking operation. Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced the news on Monday. He praised ISRO for their remarkable work on the project through a post on X. The message stated, “Glad to inform you that the second docking of satellites has been accomplished successfully.”
ISRO’s SpaDeX mission demonstrated India’s capability to conduct complex space docking procedures, as reported by ANI. This has now placed India with China, Russia, and the United States as one of the few countries capable of executing this feat.
Key Details of the SpaDeX Mission
The PSLV-C60/SPADEX mission was launched on December 30, 2024. They were launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C60) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Srihari Kota. It included a series of in-space operations like docking and undocking of satellites. This mission aimed to test India’s space docking capabilities.
On January 16, 2025, at 6:20 AM SDX-01 (Chaser) completed its first docking with SDX-02 (Target). This achievement was historic for India as it joined China, Russia, and the United States among nations that possess space docking technology. The first docking mission demonstrated that ISRO could perform accurate orbital operations.
This was followed by their successful de-docking on March 13, 2025, at 9:20 AM. A precise sequence guided the undocking procedure. It ended with the separation of the two satellites, SDX-01 (Chaser) and SDX-02 (Target). During the undocking, SDX-2 extended successfully. Then, ISRO released Capture Lever 3 as planned. After that, the Capture Lever in SDX-2 was disengaged. Finally, ISRO sent separation commands to both SDX-1 and SDX-2, which led to the successful severance of the satellites.
The latest docking operation expands upon the results achieved by the initial docking event. This docking is an important step in ISRO’s mission to master space docking technology. It involves precise coordination of both satellites and the separation of the two spacecraft after a series of well-planned maneuvers.
ISRO’s Role in Advancing Global Space Technology
ISRO’s SpaDeX mission plays a crucial role in advancing India’s space docking technology. According to ISRO, the mission highlights India’s skill in moving, docking, and spacecraft separation. This current mission creates a strong foundation for upcoming operations that involve maintenance of satellites, interplanetary exploration and other space station operations. It is a cost-effective technology designed to demonstrate in-space docking using two small spacecraft launched by the PSLV.
This technology is important for India’s future space related goals. These include sending an Indian to the Moon, bringing back sample from Moon, and building and running the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS). In-space docking technology is especially useful when a mission needs more than one rocket launch to complete its tasks.
SpaDeX was designed at UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) and received additional support from other ISRO centers (VSSC, LPSC, SAC, IISU, and LEOS). India demonstrates rapid development in its space operations through this mission. The mission’s success serves as a foundation that will enable future development of space industries.
