ISRO—India’s space agency—has successfully launched two spacecraft into orbit, a major achievement that makes the agency the fourth to manage the mission.
The spectacular docking between the two satellites took place last night about 295 miles (475 kilometers) above Earth. Accomplishments are important; apart from the fact that India is now the fourth country to put a spaceship in orbit, it is a milestone in the country’s ambitious space program.
According to SpaceNews, the two spacecraft—launched on December 30—were supposed to dock on January 7, but drifting into orbit was delayed. ISRO announced the successful docking of the X yesterday, and noted that relaunch and power transfer tests of the spacecraft will take place in the coming days.
SpaDeX Docking Update:
🌟 Docking Success
Spaceship docking successfully completed! It’s a historic moment.
Let’s go through the SpaDeX installation process:
The movement from 15m to 3m in the holding area is completed. Docking is initiated with precision, resulting in successful spacecraft acquisition.…
– ISRO (@isro) January 16, 2025
Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, said of X that this achievement was “an important step for India’s space mission in the coming years.”
Today, ISRO announced that the government has approved a third launch site at the agency’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre. According to an agency release, the additional launch pad “enhances the Indian Space ecosystem by enabling higher launch frequencies and a national capability for human spaceflight and space exploration.” The agency plans to finish building the launchpad in four years.
The success of the docking test is the latest milestone for ISRO, which is rapidly expanding its efforts in all aspects of spaceflight.
In 2019, India deliberately launched one of its satellites in a show of force that planted the country’s flag as a space power. India became only the fourth country to demonstrate an anti-satellite (ASAT) capability, after Russia, China, and the United States. India also has ambitions beyond low Earth orbit. In 2023, the lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon and quickly looked for its south pole. In the same year, India’s Aditya-L1 mission successfully launched and began observing space weather and its effects on our planet. In 2023, the Gaganyaan demonstrator laid the foundation for what should be ISRO’s first space mission.
Congratulations #ISRO. Finally he did. SPADEX has done an unbelievable thing… docking is complete… and it’s all native “Bharatiya Docking System”. This paves the way for smooth behavior of future ambitious missions including Bharatiya Antriksha Station, Chandrayaan 4 &…
– Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) January 16, 2025
Jitendra Singh, India’s Minister of State for Science and Technology, announced the latest shutdown in a social media post, noting that it facilitates the progress of many ISRO missions. The still-defunct Gaganyaan test flight is scheduled for later this year, which if successful will give the agency a major step toward sending humans into space.
At the risk of flying too close to a point, it was a relatively straightforward maneuver for ISRO’s spacecraft, but a major step—and a statement of intent—for the country’s space program.
