Sriharikota: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which is India’s premier space agency, has a wonderful Mission Control team under which a major breakthrough has been attained in ISRO’s journey in space exploration. They recently launched the experimental Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission to space with the PSLV-C60 parabola from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. This mission is India’s admission to the exclusive in-space docking club that consists of only very few countries.
SpaDeX is on a mission that has two tiny satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), each of which weighs around 220 kilograms. The key goal of this mission is to show the required technology to perform rendezvous, docking, and undocking of the two satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) at 470 kilometres.
After their launch, the two spacecraft will be put into different orbital slots where they will reach a maximum speed of 28,800 kilometres per hour. After the docking operation is initiated in about ten days post-launch, the Chaser approaches the Target spacecraft. The two ships will approach each other from an initial distance of 20 kilometres to a final pre-dock separation of just 3 meters.
Once the two are docked, the plan is to switch on the Chaser electrical power between the two spaceships. This operation is the main thing, as it affects the satellites’ missions, like fixing the satellite and, MOST importantly, building the Indian Space Station, Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS). SpaDeX is also important for the following missions, such as Chandrayaan-4, which is going to use similar docking technologies.
The completion of this project leaves a mark on the development of India to the same league as the important space exploration groups such as NASA, Russia, and China. This not only marks the technological advancement of the ISRO organisation but also the organisation’s capability to design self-driven solutions for very difficult space missions. The project has been presented as an introductory piece for more ambitious projects that can possibly come in the future, such as human lunar missions and exploration of other planets.
The achievement of autonomous docking is a must-have for future operations in space, and this technology will enable modular assembly and sharing of resources between spacecraft. This type of technology will be essential for long-term missions and will contribute significantly to India’s capabilities in space exploration.
ISRO has already applied for a patent for its proprietary docking mechanism since the sharing of such intricate technologies is very rare among nations. The SpaDeX mission brings India closer to opening its own space station by 2035 and putting the country in a more significant position in global space exploration.
As ISRO marches ahead in the cosmos of technological development, the successful SpaDeX mission launch becomes a proud India moment and a cue for the next inventors in the field.
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