India achieves first space docking, becoming fourth country to achieve major milestone

Addis Ababa, January 16, 2025 (FMC) – India on Thursday became the fourth country to successfully achieve an unmanned docking in space, a feat seen as pivotal for future missions as New Delhi cements its place as a global space power.

Russia, the United States, and China are the only other countries to have developed and tested the docking capability.

“Spacecraft docking successfully completed! A historic moment,” the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said on X.

The Indian space agency’s mission, called the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDex), involved deploying two small spacecraft, weighing about 220 kilograms each, into low-earth orbit. The two spacecraft, called Target and Chaser, blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in southern Andhra Pradesh state on December 30 aboard an Indian-made PSLV rocket.

On Thursday, they conducted a rendezvous before docking together.

“Congratulations to our scientists at ISRO and the entire space fraternity for the successful demonstration of space docking of satellites. It is a significant stepping stone for India’s ambitious space missions in the years to come,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X.

In-docking technology is critical for future space endeavors, such as satellite servicing and when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve mission objectives.

Domestically developed docking technology will be crucial if India is to succeed in advancing its ambition of putting an Indian national on the moon, building a home-grown space station, and returning lunar samples, according to the ISRO.

The technology will allow India to transfer materials from one satellite or spacecraft to another, such as payloads, lunar samples or, eventually, humans in space, Singh told reporters at a press conference on December 31.

As part of the mission, the docked spacecraft will also demonstrate the transfer of electric power between them, once they are linked. This is essential for operating in-space robotics, spacecraft control, and payload operations during future missions.

Before the docking, India on Sunday conducted a “trial attempt” where the two satellites were brought progressively closer together in orbit until they reached 3 meters apart, before moving back to a “safe distance.”

The successful docking came after the experiment was twice postponed on January 7 and 9 due to technical issues, and the spacecraft drifting more than expected during a maneuver to bring them closer together.