ISRO's SpaDeX Mission Successful: After Russia, China and the United States, India became the fourth nation to successfully achieve 'Space Docking' capabilities essential for future human and space missions.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shared the good news with the people of India through social media on Thursday. While sharing the news of the SpaDex mission's success, the space agency wrote, "Spacecraft docking successfully completed! A historic moment."
"India became the 4th country to achieve successful Space Docking. Congratulations to the entire team! Congratulations to India!," Isro's post added.
Launched on December 31, 2024, the SpaDeX mission aims to successfully complete the space docking mission.
List of Space Docking' capabilities Nation :
1. US 2. China 3. Russia 4. IndiaWhat does 'docking in space' mean?
Docking is a process by which a spacecraft can manoeuvre and attach to a space station by itself. It basically refers to the joining of two separate free-flying space vehicles. According to the 'National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 'docking is “mating operations where an active vehicle flies into the mating interface under its own power”.
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While explaining the in-space docking technology, Isro says docking is useful when multiple rockets are launched into space to achieve common mission objectives.
SpaDeX mission significance
The SpaDEx project's success is historic for India as this groundbreaking initiative aimed to develop and demonstrate technologies essential for spacecraft rendezvous, docking, and undocking.
SpaDeX also involved two small satellites, Target and Chaser, which were designed to perform these complex manoeuvres autonomously.
Isro also explained the importance of SpaDeX and wrote, “SpaDEx will serve as a milestone in advancing India’s capabilities in space docking, a critical technology for future space missions including satellite servicing, space station operations, and interplanetary missions.”
India plans to put its own space station in orbit around the earth by around 2035, and the plans include sending humans to the moon by 2040. To achieve this vision, Isro will need to master many technologies, which includes space docking. India, for example, would not be able to assemble the space station in orbit if it lacked the capability for docking of space vehicles.
Space docking capability will also be crucial if Isro has to realise its ambition of bringing back samples from the moon, planned through Chandrayaan-4.
How docking was performed?
The SpaDex mission was launched with two small satellites – Chaser and Target – aboard a PSLV-C60 rocket. Earlier, the ISRO had explained that a small relative velocity was given between the Target and Chaser spacecraft at the time of separation from the launch vehicle.
Isro launched two satellites: Chaser and Target, aboard a PSLV-C60 rocket under the SpaDeX mission. Isro explained that a relative velocity was given between the Target and Chaser to maintain the distance from the launch vehicle.
This incremental velocity helped the Target spacecraft to build a 10-20 km inter-satellite separation with respect to the Chaser within a day.
Both satellites, the Target and Chaser were in the same orbit separated by 20km which is known as "Far Rendezvous".
Soon the distance between the Chaser and the Target starts reducing, going from 5km, 1.5 km, 500 m, 225 m, 15 m, and to 3 m, ultimately leading to the docking of the spacecraft.
After docking and rigidization, electrical power transfer will take place between the two satellites before the undocking and separation of the two satellites to start the operation of their respective payloads.