CHENNAI, Jan 10: Following the successful arrest of the excessive drift between two spacecraft during the Spadex docking experiment mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Friday evening that the spacecraft are currently 1.5 km apart and in hold mode. Plans are in place to reduce this distance to 500 m by Saturday morning. The docking experiment had previously been postponed twice due to technical issues.
In an update shared on X regarding the SpaDeX docking status, ISRO stated, “Spacecrafts are at a distance of 1.5 km and on hold mode. Further drift to 500 m is planned for tomorrow morning.” On the preceding day, ISRO confirmed, “The drift has been arrested, and the spacecrafts are on a slow drift path to close the gap. By tomorrow, we anticipate reaching initialization conditions.”
This excessive drift has resulted in the postponement of the docking procedure for the two satellites—Chaser and Target—initially scheduled for this morning. The docking, originally set for January 7, was deferred to yesterday as additional validation steps were required through ground simulations. On Wednesday, ISRO announced yet another delay in the docking due to excessive drift encountered during a maneuver.
After updating on January 9 that drift on Spacecraft-A had been initiated to close the distance from 500 m to 225 m, ISRO later clarified that the drift exceeded expectations after a non-visibility period during their maneuver to reach 225 km between the satellites. The planned docking for January 9 at 08:00 hrs has been postponed, but the satellites remain safe.
In a significant advancement for India’s space endeavors, ISRO successfully launched the Space Docking Experiment technology on the night of December 30, making India the fourth country worldwide to achieve this milestone, following the US, Russia, and China. The PSLV-C60/SPADEX Mission was launched from the SHAR Range in Sriharikota, carrying two payloads—Spadex-A and Spadex-B.
After a flight duration of approximately 15-16 minutes, the duo of SPADEX satellites, each weighing 220 kg, was accurately positioned into a 475 km circular orbit oriented eastward, with an inclination of 55 degrees. ISRO indicated, “The two Spadex satellites were independently and simultaneously launched into a 475 km circular orbit at 55-degree inclination, following a local time cycle of about 66 days.”
The indigenous technology applied in this mission is called the “Bharatiya Docking System.” The SpaDEX mission is crucial for India’s ambitions in future space missions, as docking technology is essential for long-term missions, including “Chandrayaan-4” and the forthcoming Indian Space Station, as well as for the upcoming crewed “Gaganyaan” mission.
This launch not only increases ISRO’s operational flexibility but also broadens its mission scope. In addition to the Spadex success, this mission is historic as ISRO set a record by deploying an unprecedented 24 scientific experiments into space via the PSLV Orbital Experiment Module-4 (POEM-4) using the PSLV-C60 launch vehicle, which has the potential to revolutionize space technology.
The scientific instruments aboard POEM-4 have successfully cultivated crops in space within four days, with leaves beginning to emerge, and have demonstrated the first walking robotic arm in space. “With 24 cutting-edge R&D payloads (14 from ISRO, 10 from academia/startups), we have expanded the boundaries in biological experiments, robotics, SAR imaging, AI applications, and more… A monumental leap for science and innovation,” ISRO remarked.
(UNI)