Thu Jan 16 11:20:00 UTC 2025: ## India Achieves Historic Space Docking Milestone
**Bengaluru, India –** India has joined an elite group of nations after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed a space docking experiment (SpaDeX). This marks India as only the fourth country to achieve this technological feat.
The docking, announced Thursday morning, involved the precise maneuvering and connection of two satellites. ISRO’s X post described the process: “Manoeuvre from 15m to 3m hold point completed. Docking was initiated with precision, leading to successful spacecraft capture. Retraction was completed smoothly, followed by rigidisation for stability. Docking successfully completed.” Post-docking, control of both satellites as a single unit was achieved. Further tests, including undocking and power transfer checks, are scheduled for the coming days.
Karnataka Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao offered his congratulations to ISRO, praising the organization’s seventy years of contributions to the nation and highlighting the significance of this scientific advancement for national development.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the achievement, calling it a “significant stepping stone for India’s ambitious space missions in the years to come,” while Union Minister Jitendra Singh emphasized its importance for future projects, including the Bharatiya Antariksha Station (Indian Space Station) and Chandrayaan-4. SpaDeX project director N Surendran noted the experiment’s crucial role in enabling future missions requiring docking mechanisms. The successful docking utilized India’s indigenous “Bharatiya Docking System”.
First Piper 