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ISRO's SpaDeX Mission: India Becomes Fourth Nation to Achieve Space Docking

Jan 16, 2025, 05:30 AM

India's space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), successfully executed its first satellite docking experiment, known as the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), on January 16, 2025. The mission, with a budget of $43 million USD, involved docking two satellites, SpaDeX 01 and SpaDeX 02, in low Earth orbit using an indigenous 'Bharatiya Docking System'. This achievement makes India the fourth country, after the United States, Russia, and China, to demonstrate the capability to dock two spacecraft in orbit. The successful docking marks a crucial milestone for India's future space missions, including potential advancements in the upcoming Chandrayaan-4 mission. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the ISRO scientists on this accomplishment, highlighting it as a stepping stone for India's ambitious space programs in the years to come. Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh also lauded the success. Former ISRO scientists Nambi Narayanan and Mylswamy Annadurai praised the achievement, noting its significance for India's space capabilities. ISRO plans to further demonstrate the transfer of electrical power between the two docked satellites and may attempt additional docking trials.