"How ISRO Pulled Off the ‘Historic’ Feat of Docking Two Satellites"
"How ISRO Pulled Off the ‘Historic’ Feat of Docking Two Satellites"
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced today that it successfully docked the two SpaDeX satellites. With this achievement, India has joined an elite club of nations, including the US, Russia, and China, that have mastered docking in space. Here’s how it happened.
In a historic moment, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully docked its Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) satellites in space on Thursday, January 16. The Indian space agency shared the update on X, stating that the spacecraft docking was "successfully completed."
"Let’s walk through the SpaDeX docking process: Manoeuvre from 15m to 3m hold point completed. Docking initiated with precision, leading to successful spacecraft capture. Retraction completed smoothly, followed by rigidization for stability. Docking successfully completed," ISRO tweeted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated ISRO for the achievement, calling it "a significant stepping stone for India’s ambitious space missions in the years to come," in a post on X. With this success, India has become the fourth country to achieve unmanned docking in space. This marks a giant step for ISRO as it advances its future space endeavors. Let’s take a look at how the SpaDeX mission was conducted and why it is significant.
ISRO’s SpaDeX MissionOn December 30, 2024, ISRO launched the SpaDeX mission, with two small 220 kg spacecraft lifted from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota aboard the PSLV-C60 rocket.
The two satellites, called Target (SDX02) and Chaser (SDX01), were injected into a circular 450 km orbit. They then drifted apart, reaching a distance of around 20 km in space for the docking experiment, which was initially scheduled for January 7.
However, ISRO announced on January 6, "The SpaDeX docking scheduled on 7th is now postponed to 9th. The docking process requires further validation through ground simulations based on an abort scenario identified today."
On January 8, the space agency stated it had "initiated the drift on the spacecraft to move closer from 500 m to 225 m" and later explained that the docking had been delayed due to a technical issue. "The drift has been arrested and spacecrafts put in a slow drift course to move closer to each other. By tomorrow, it is expected to reach initialization conditions," ISRO said in a statement on January 9.
On January 12, ISRO successfully conducted a trial attempt to bring the Chaser and Target satellites three meters closer to each other. They were then moved apart to a “safe distance.” ISRO described this as an “exciting handshake” of the two satellites in space.
On Thursday, ISRO announced the successful docking process of the SpaDeX satellites. In another post, the space agency stated, “Post docking, control of two satellites as a single object is successful. Undocking and power transfer checks to follow in the coming days.”
The space agency initiated the final docking maneuver when the two satellites were just 3 meters apart. According to Indian Express, the extended rings on both spacecraft would have joined, retracted, and locked in place.
“Latches on both spacecraft will be released, and clamps will engage to secure a firm connection. Throughout this process, the thruster systems on both spacecraft will work in concert to maintain stability and prevent any unintended collisions. The Target satellite is equipped with a special docking mechanism that complements the Chaser’s, ensuring a secure and reliable connection,” space expert Girish Linganna explained to The Week previously. Once the spacecraft are linked, they will demonstrate the transfer of electric power between them.
“This capability is essential for future missions involving in-space refueling, repairs, or the assembly of larger structures. Following the docking and power transfer demonstration, the spacecraft will undock and continue with their independent mission objectives, which include conducting scientific experiments using their onboard payloads,” Linganna added.
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