India Becomes 4th Country to Successfully Dock Satellites in Space

India Becomes 4th Country to Successfully Dock Satellites in Space

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday morning congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for achieving a historic milestone by successfully completing the docking of two satellites. He described the success of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) as an important step forward for future space missions.

"Congratulations to our scientists at ISRO and the entire space community for successfully demonstrating satellite docking in space. This is a crucial milestone for India's ambitious space missions in the future," PM Modi posted on X.

ISRO announced on Thursday morning that the satellite docking was completed, making India the fourth country in the world to achieve this feat. “India is now the 4th country to successfully achieve space docking. Congratulations to the entire team and to India!” ISRO posted on X.

The SpaDeX docking process involved moving the spacecraft from a distance of 15 meters to 3 meters with precision, leading to successful docking.

“SpaDeX Docking Update: Docking Success! A historic moment. Here’s the process: The spacecraft maneuvered from 15m to 3m hold point with accuracy. Docking was initiated and successfully completed, followed by smooth retraction and stabilization. Post-docking, control of both satellites as a single unit is confirmed. Checks for undocking and power transfer will be conducted in the coming days,” ISRO announced.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh highlighted that this success paves the way for upcoming missions like the Bharatiya Antriksha Station and Chandrayaan-4.

"Congratulations, ISRO! SpaDeX has achieved the incredible—docking complete, using our fully Indigenous 'Bharatiya Docking System.' This marks progress toward major future missions like the Bharatiya Antriksha Station, Chandrayaan-4, and Gaganyaan. Thanks to PM Modi's continued support, the team’s morale remains high here in Bengaluru," the Union Minister wrote on X.

Earlier, SpaDeX project director N Surendran explained that this experiment would be a key step for future projects like the Bharatiya Antriksha Station and Chandrayaan-4, as docking mechanisms are becoming increasingly essential.