The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing for a mission, the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), set for December 30. This mission will attempt to autonomously dock two satellites in orbit at 470 kilometers, a critical milestone for India’s advanced space exploration goals.
Two specially designed satellites, weighing approximately 220 kilograms each, will be launched aboard a PSLV rocket. Traveling at a velocity of 28,800 km/h (36 times the speed of a commercial airplane), the satellites, named “Chaser” and “Target,” will use the indigenous Bhartiya Docking System to achieve docking. The system will slow their relative velocities to near zero for a precise connection. The Bhartiya Docking System is both cost-efficient and advanced, requiring only two motors compared to the 24 motors of NASA’s International Docking System Standard (IDSS). ISRO has already patented this innovative docking technology.
This mission, developed over a decade, demonstrates India’s capability to achieve autonomous in-space docking, a feat previously mastered by Russia, the US, and China. The technology is essential for future projects such as the Chandrayaan-4, a lunar sample return mission, and the development of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), India’s space station.
While ISRO scientists conceived and designed SpaDeX, final assembly, and integration were carried out by Bengaluru-based private space technology company Ananth Technologies, marking a significant collaboration between India’s public and private sectors.
According to ISRO Chairman Dr. S Somanath, mastering docking is crucial for India’s ambitions in human spaceflight and space station development. The current version of the Bhartiya Docking System, measuring 450 mm in diameter, will eventually expand to 800 mm to support docking with larger modules like the Gaganyaan Crew Module.
India is on the brink of joining the exclusive league of nations capable of autonomous space docking, propelling its space program to new heights.
Ahmedabad Plane Crash