ISRO SpaDex docking mission: Satellites come close to 3 metres in trial attempt

New Delhi: Two satellites came as close as three metres in a trial attempt for space docking and are now moving back, the Indian space agency said on Sunday.

Giving an update on the SpaDeX Docking Mission, ISRO posted on X, “A trial attempt to reach up to 15 m and further to 3 m is done. Moving back spacecrafts to safe distance The docking process will be done after analysing data further.”

Earlier, the space agency said that the SpaDeX satellites were holding position at 15m and “capturing stunning photos and videos of each other!” The agency posted pictures taken at various distances by the satellites.

This experiment comes ahead of the main docking experiment. In this trial attempt, both the SpaDeX satellites — SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target) — came as close as three metres to each other. However, the satellites were then moved apart to safer distances with ISRO saying that the docking process would only be done after analysis of the data.

Docking is a very complex process with the satellites being moved back and forth to achieve what ISRO has described as an “exciting handshake” of the two satellites in space.

India is using the indigenously developed Bhartiya Docking System to achieve this feat.

The SpaDeX mission was launched on December 30 with the satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), being lifted off onboard a PSLV C60 rocket and placed into a 475 km circular orbit.

If the mission becomes successful, India will be the fourth nation in the world — after the US, Russia and China — to master the complex technologies that are crucial for its future missions.

The feat, if achieved, will help the country in its future space explorations such as the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and Chandrayaan 4.

ISRO has postponed the historic docking of the two satellites’ twice with its chief Dr S. Somnath saying that it was India’s first attempt at docking and every first attempt has challenges. “The docking exercise will be done only 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,” Somnath had earlier said.

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 space agency had said earlier.

–IANS