Mon Dec 30 20:12:10 UTC 2024: ## ISRO Successfully Launches SpaDeX Mission, Making India Fourth Nation to Achieve Orbital Docking
**Sriharikota, India:** The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) achieved a significant milestone on [Date of launch] with the successful launch of PSLV-C60 carrying the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) and innovative payloads. The launch, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, marks India’s entry into an elite group of nations capable of performing orbital docking.
The PSLV-C60 successfully deployed two spacecraft, ‘A’ and ‘B’, which subsequently performed a successful docking and undocking manoeuvre in orbit. This demonstrates India’s mastery of crucial technology for future complex space missions, including the planned establishment of an Indian space station by 2035.
SpaDeX is a cost-effective technology demonstration mission focused on orbital docking and undocking. This capability is essential for assembling larger structures in space, enabling future missions requiring multiple rocket launches or the servicing of satellites. The successful docking and undocking of the 220 kg spacecraft, equipped with high-resolution cameras and other payloads for Earth observation, solidifies India’s position alongside China, Russia, and the United States in this advanced space technology.
The mission also involved the deployment of miniature multispectral and radiation monitoring payloads, which will provide high-resolution imagery and data for natural resource monitoring and vegetation studies. The 44.5-meter-tall PSLV rocket carried the spacecraft to an altitude of 470 kilometers, where the docking and undocking procedures were executed.
ISRO scientists expressed their delight at the successful mission, highlighting its importance for India’s future space ambitions. The successful SpaDeX mission underscores India’s growing capabilities in space exploration and its commitment to advancing space technology.
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