ISRO Achieves De-Docking Of SpaDeX Satellites, Sets Stage For Bharatiya Space Station, Chandrayaan-4

Hyderabad: ISRO on Thursday announced the successful undocking of the SpaDeX satellites. This accomplishment paves the way for future missions of the space agency, such as exploring the moon, human spaceflight, and building its own space station.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh congratulated the ISRO team via a post on X (formerly Twitter), calling the feat unbelievable.

"SpaDeX satellites accomplished the unbelievable de-docking. This paves the way for smooth conduct of ambitious future missions including the Bharatiya Antriksha Station, Chandrayaan 4, and Gaganyaan," Singh said.

The SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment) mission was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on December 30, 2024, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. It involves two satellites, referred to as SDX-1 and SDX-2 or the "chaser" and the "target," which perform docking and undocking manoeuvres in low Earth orbit.

After several attempts, the space agency successfully docked the two satellites on January 16, 2025. The next step for the mission was the undocking process, which it has now completed. ISRO also shared key sequences of undocking events, which are as follows:

• SDX-2 extension successful
• Capture Lever 3 released as planned
• Capture Lever in SDX-2 disengaged
• Decapture command issued in SDX-1 & SDX-2

The primary objective of SpaDeX is to test and demonstrate autonomous docking technology, which is crucial for future space missions, including satellite servicing, space station operations, and interplanetary exploration. The successful completion of the mission places India among the elite group of nations capable of performing space docking.

ISRO also shared videos of SpaDeX undocking captured from both SDX-1 and SDX-2 satellites. You can watch the clips of this successful separation in orbit via the X post embedded below:

(This is a developing story)