India launches first space docking mission with native rocket

Investing.com — India initiated its inaugural space docking mission this Monday, utilizing an indigenous rocket and aiming to becomes the fourth nation to achieve such a feat.

The mission, known as Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in the state of Andhra Pradesh at 1630 GMT. It utilized the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) PSLV rocket, often referred to as the “workhorse”. Approximately 15 minutes post-launch, the mission director declared the launch a success, as the spacecraft reached an altitude of about 470 km.

This mission, considered crucial for future space initiatives, involves placing two compact spacecraft, each weighing roughly 220 kilograms, into a 470-km circular orbit. The mission will also showcase the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, a capability crucial for applications like in-space robotics, composite spacecraft control, and payload operations post-undocking.

Each satellite is equipped with advanced payloads, including an imaging system and a radiation-monitoring device, designed to measure electron and proton radiation levels in space, thus providing vital data for future human spaceflight missions.

ISRO Chairman S. Somanath indicated that the actual testing of the docking technology could occur in approximately a week’s time, with a tentative date around Jan. 7. “The rocket has placed the satellites in the right orbit,” he stated.

If the demonstration proves successful, India will join the United States, Russia, and China as the only countries to have developed and tested this capability.

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