The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully brought two satellites within three metres of each other in a trial attempt for space docking. The SpaDeX Docking Mission, launched on December 30, saw the satellites SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target) lifted off onboard a PSLV C60 rocket and placed into a 475 km circular orbit.
The satellites, after reaching a proximity of 15 metres, captured stunning photos and videos of each other, providing valuable data for the ISRO team. The satellites then moved closer, reaching a distance of just three metres apart. This trial attempt precedes the main docking experiment, a complex process that involves moving the satellites back and forth to achieve what ISRO has described as an exciting handshake in space.
The docking process is a critical part of the mission, and it will only be initiated after a thorough analysis of the data collected during the trial attempt. The satellites were then moved back to safer distances. The docking process is a complex one, requiring the satellites to be moved back and forth to achieve what ISRO has described as an exciting handshake of the two satellites in space.
The SpaDeX mission is a cost-effective technology demonstrator mission for the demonstration of in-space docking using two small spacecraft. The primary objective of the SpaDeX mission is to develop and demonstrate the technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft in a low-Earth circular orbit.
The mission also aims to demonstrate the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, which is essential for future applications such as in-space robotics, composite spacecraft control, and payload operations after undocking. The two satellites will be controlled as a single spacecraft after the docking. Electrical power will be transferred from one satellite to another to check if the docking is successful. The process will be declared successful after the satellites are undocked and they start functioning independently.
The mission’s success will place India as the fourth nation in the world — after the US, Russia, and China — to master these complex technologies, which are crucial for its future missions. This achievement will significantly aid the country in its future space explorations such as the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and Chandrayaan 4.
ISRO’s chief, Dr S. Somnath, has stated that this is India’s first attempt at docking and every first attempt has its challenges. He emphasized that the docking exercise will only be conducted when all sensors have been fully calibrated and tested to satisfaction. All algorithms and scenarios are also tested on the ground before commands are sent to the spacecraft to do the docking autonomously.
The SpaDeX mission also carries several experiments, including a box carrying eight cowpea seeds which, if plans go right, will develop to a two-leaf stage in space. This indicates ISRO’s ambition to contribute to all aspects of planetary research.
The mission’s success will be a significant milestone in the history of space exploration. The first artificial Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. The first human to go into space, Yuri Gagarin, was launched, again by the Soviet Union, for a one-orbit journey around Earth on April 12, 1961. Within 10 years of that first human flight, American astronauts walked on the surface of the Moon.
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