India successfully paired a satellite in space for the first time

The SpaDeX experiment set launched on India’s PSLV rocket on December 30, starting the task of demonstrating the automatic docking technology developed by the country. SpaDeX consists of two satellites, Target and Chaser, each weighing 220 kg. The duo was initially scheduled to pair in orbit on January 6, but ISRO postponed it several times to perform more tests and simulations.

On January 15, Target and Chaser began to move, successfully narrowing the distance from 15 m to 3 m, maintaining this distance for a short time, then completing the pairing process. “Successful satellite pairing! A historic moment! Congratulations to the whole team, congratulations to India,” ISRO wrote on social network X.

“After docking, controlling the two satellites as a single object was also successful. Test operations for the energy transfer and separation process will continue in the coming days,” ISRO said. know.

According to ISRO, space docking technology is essential for India’s space ambitions such as missions on the Moon, bringing samples from the Moon to Earth, and building and operating the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS). . This technology is essential when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve common mission objectives.

BAS is a space station orbiting the Earth that India plans to assemble around 2035. The country is also developing the Moon sample collection mission Chandrayaan 4, scheduled to launch in 2028.

The new achievement makes India the fourth country to achieve orbital vehicle docking after the US, Russia and China. In addition, a number of agencies and organizations have also successfully demonstrated pairing technology. For example, Japan and the European Space Agency (ESA) have built cargo spacecraft to serve the International Space Station (ISS). ESA’s ATV cargo ships docked with the station on their own, but Japan’s HTV ship needed help from a large robotic arm.