Nearly two months after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) carried out the docking of the two satellites which are part of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission the space agency on Thursday accomplished the undocking of the satellites.
The space agency said that it has accomplished the feat in its very first attempt. The undocking operation was executed at 9.20 am.
“The undocking of the satellites took place in a 460 km circular orbit with 45-degree inclination. The satellites are now orbiting independently and their health is normal. With this, ISRO has now successfully demonstrated all the capabilities required for rendezvous, docking and undocking operations in a circular orbit,” ISRO said.
It added that the in-orbit performance of the docked satellites was extensively analysed and an immediate opportunity was found to be feasible from March 10 till March 25.
“All operations were monitored through ground stations located at Bengaluru, Lucknow and Mauritius. Having accomplished this major milestone of undocking, further experiments with satellites are planned for the coming days,” ISRO said.
It further said that exhaustive ground simulations and analysis were the cornerstones of achieving the undocking in the first attempt itself. “Various tests replicating on-orbit conditions were meticulously planned and carried out in preparation for the earliest opportunity for undocking operations,” it said.
On January 16, ISRO had successfully executed the SpaDeX docking experiment, making India the fourth country after the U.S., Russia and China to achieve this historic feat.
The two satellites SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), which were launched by the PSLV C60 on December 30, 2024 were successfully docked on January 16.
Following this historical feat, the space agency had said that the undocking would be carried out in the coming days.
The SpaDeX mission is an important project by ISRO. It is designed to develop and demonstrate the technology needed for spacecraft rendezvous, docking and undocking using two small satellites.
The demonstration of this technology is essential for futuristic missions, such as sending an Indian astronaut to the Moon, returning samples from the Moon, and the building and operation of the Indian Space Station.
The other objectives of the mission include demonstration of the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, which is essential for future applications, such as in-space robotics, composite spacecraft control and payload operations after undocking.
Published – March 13, 2025 12:54 pm IST
