Rapid Fire
India’s Space Docking Milestone
- 18 Mar 2025
- 2 min read
India has become the 4th country—after the US, Russia, and China—to demonstrate space docking and undocking capabilities.
- ISRO autonomously undocked two satellites i.e., SDX01 (the Chaser) and SDX02 (the Target) in space, reinforcing India's ability to conduct complex orbital maneuvers essential for future space missions.
- Space Docking is a process where two spacecraft in orbit are progressively brought closer and joined together.
- It allows for assembling heavy spacecraft in space, which cannot be launched in a single mission due to weight limitations.
- Space undocking refers to the process of separating a spacecraft from a space station or another spacecraft.
- It is crucial for India’s planned Bhartiya Antriksh Station (by 2035) and human mission to the Moon (by 2040).
- Chandrayaan-4, which will bring back lunar soil and rock samples, will rely on this technology.
- In 1966, NASA’s Gemini VIII, commanded by Neil Armstrong, completed the first manual space docking with the target vehicle Agena.
- In 1967, the former USSR’s Kosmos 186 and Kosmos 188 spacecraft achieved the first autonomous docking.
- China achieved its first unmanned docking in 2011 and its first crewed docking in 2012.
| Read More: ISRO's SpaDeX |
