ISRO, India’s space agency, has successfully completed the second satellite docking as part of its ambitious SpaDEX program, marking another significant milestone in the country’s expanding proficiency in advanced space operations. Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh declared the milestone on Monday via a post on the social media platform X.
Dr. Singh expressed pride in the mission’s development and highlighted its importance to India’s space exploration aspirations. He noted that the SpaDEX mission was launched from Sriharikota on December 30, 2024, using the PSLV-C60 rocket. The first satellite docked on January 16, 2025, at 6:20 a.m. and undocked on March 13, 2025, at 9:20 a.m.
The mission consists of two small satellites, SDX01 and SDX02, weighing approximately 220 kg each. These satellites were designed to demonstrate autonomous orbital docking capabilities. The second successful docking establishes India’s position as the fourth country in the world to master this technology, behind the United States, Russia, and China.
The success of the mission is dependent on ISRO’s Bharatiya Docking System, which was completely built in India. It combines docking hardware, autonomous intelligence, inter-satellite communication, and sensor arrays. More trials are planned in the coming weeks.
