ISRO Successfully Completes Second Satellite Docking in Spadex Mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully carried out the second satellite docking as part of its Spadex mission, Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced on Monday. The milestone comes as part of ongoing experiments in space technology aimed at enhancing future space missions.

Singh, in a post on 'X,' confirmed the success of the second docking of satellites and revealed that more experiments are planned in the coming weeks. He also recalled that the PSLV-C60/Space Docking Experiment (SPADEX) mission was launched on December 30, 2024, and the first docking was successfully achieved on January 16, 2025, followed by a successful undocking on March 13, 2025.

ISRO confirmed that the second docking experiment of satellites SDX-01 and SDX-02 took place on April 20 at 8:20 PM, followed by a power transfer test between the two satellites on April 21. During the power transfer experiment, power was successfully exchanged between the satellites, with one satellite powering a heater element in the other. The duration of the power transfer was approximately four minutes, and the performance of both satellites met expectations.

The second docking was fully autonomous, carried out from a distance of 15 meters between the satellites, a significant improvement over the first attempt, where manual intervention was required at a distance of 3 meters. This development came after extensive ground simulations and on-orbit trials, which provided confidence for the successful execution of the docking and power transfer.

The successful completion of this docking experiment marks a crucial milestone in the SPADEX mission, which aims to demonstrate cost-effective in-space docking technology using small spacecraft. This technology is vital for future ISRO missions, including the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and the planned human mission to the Moon.

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