With the successful injection of twin spacecraft SDX01 and SDX02 into a 475 km orbit, ISRO has established India as an emerging leader in space docking technology.

The rocket was launched successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, the barrier island in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh on December 30.

Visuals show the rocket launching into space during the late evening hours, moving at the speed of light under the constant monitoring of scientists.

According to reports, just after 10 pm on Monday, the PSLV-C60 rocket lifted off from the first launch pad, successfully placing two small satellites, each weighing 220 kg, into a precise 475 km circular orbit after a flight of over 15 minutes. The first satellite separated 15.1 minutes after launch, followed by the second at 15.2 minutes. The two spacecraft – Spacecraft A (SDX01), the ‘Chaser,’ and Spacecraft B (SDX02), the ‘Target’ – are set to rendezvous later at an altitude of around 470 km, traveling at the same speed and distance.

Mr. Somanath, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, stated that he was pleased to announce the successful launch of the PSLV-C60 for the SpaDeX mission. He congratulated the entire PSLV project team for their precise work in placing the satellites in the correct orbit and also expressed gratitude to the SpaDeX team for their innovative and cost-effective approach to the docking demonstration mission using two small satellite bus architectures.

 

He further explained that the rocket had successfully placed the spacecraft in the right orbit, and the SpaDeX satellites were now positioned one behind the other. Over the coming week, the satellites would gradually move about 20 km apart before the rendezvous and docking process began, which was expected to occur around January 7.

M Sankaran, Director of the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), clarified that the ‘Chaser’ and ‘Target’ spacecraft were launched with a minimal relative velocity, allowing them to approach each other for potential future docking operations.

 

Looking ahead, the Indian space agency is preparing for a significant milestone with the upcoming Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle mission in January, which will mark the 100th launch from the Sriharikota spaceport.