India has reached a major milestone in space exploration, becoming the fourth nation to successfully perform space docking using its indigenously developed ‘Bharatiya Docking System,’ Union Minister Jitendra Singh said after the successful launch of ISRO’s SpaDeX mission on Monday.
In a post on X, Singh praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for laying the foundation for a “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India).
“A humble tribute to PM @narendramodi’s mantra of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat,’ paving the way for a journey beyond the skies through ‘Gaganyaan’ and the ‘Bharatiya Antriksha Station,” Singh said
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also congratulated ISRO on the achievement, calling it a groundbreaking step that brings India closer to becoming the fourth nation to master space docking technology.
In a post on X, Shah said,” Bharat paces to become the fourth nation to master space docking. Kudos to Team @isro on the successful launch of #SpaDeX Mission.”
“This is a grand success that opens a new path for Bharat in space docking technology and strengthens its role as a global leader in space. All my best wishes to our geniuses for the journey ahead,” he added.
The SpaDeX mission, ISRO’s year-end project, aims to achieve the challenging task of docking two satellites in space. This cost-effective technology demonstration will test and validate in-space docking capabilities using two small spacecraft, SDX01 and SDX02. These technologies are critical for future missions, including Chandrayaan-4, the Indian space station, and the manned Gaganyaan mission.
Following the successful launch of PSLV-C60, ISRO Chairman S. Somanath emphasized the importance of space docking for the Chandrayaan-4 mission, highlighting that the final docking is expected around January 7, 2025.
“Chandrayaan-4 comprises five modules, which will be launched at different times and integrated into two separate modules. These modules need to dock both in Earth orbit and Moon orbit,” Somanath explained. “Docking is critical for the success of this mission, which aims to land on the Moon, return to Earth, and complete the journey successfully.”
Somanath celebrated ISRO’s 99th launch milestone, saying, “This is the 99th launch of a vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. We’re now preparing for the 100th launch early next year.” The PSLV-C60 mission successfully placed two SpaDeX satellites into a 475-kilometer circular orbit.
Somanath said ISRO is preparing for the launch of the NVS-02 satellite aboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) in January 2025.
“In 2025, we have many missions. To start with, the GSLV will launch NVS-02 in January,” he said
Earlier, on May 29, 2023, the GSLV-F12 successfully launched the NVS-01 satellite into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The NVS-01, equipped with an indigenous atomic clock, enhanced the NavIC system with L1 band signals for broader service coverage. The NVS-02 mission aims to further advance these capabilities.