Context: 

Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed the docking process of the SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment) satellites.

More on The News

• The two satellites Chaser (SDX01) and Target (SDX02) which were launched by the PSLV C60 on December 30, 2024, successfully docked under the Spadex mission on 16th January 2025.
• The successful completion of the SpaDeX docking experiment makes India the fourth country after the USA, Russia and China capable of executing space docking operations.
• The demonstration of this technology is essential for futuristic missions such as sending an Indian astronaut to the Moon, sample return from the Moon, and the building and operation of the Bharat Antariksh Space Station. 

About SpaDeX Mission

• The SpaDeX mission is a cost-effective technology demonstration to showcase in-space docking using two small spacecraft.

• The two small spacecraft, called Chaser (SDX01) and Target (SDX02) (each weighing about 220 kg) were launched by PSLV-C60 and placed into a circular low-Earth orbit at 470 km.

• These spacecrafts are androgynous in nature i.e. either of the spacecraft can act as chaser (active spacecraft) during docking. 

• The main goals of the SpaDeX mission are: 

• Develop and demonstrate technology needed for spacecraft rendezvous, docking and undocking using two small satellites.
• Showcase controllability in the docked condition.
• Demonstrate the potential for extending the life of the target spacecraft.
• Demonstration of the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft which is essential for future applications such as in-space robotics.