On Thursday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that it had successfully completed the de-docking of the SpaDeX satellites, which paves the way for future missions that include exploring the moon, undertaking human spaceflight, and constructing its own space station.?
Union Minister Jitendra Singh took to X to share the news, highlighting that the de-docking of the SpaDeX satellites was an impressive achievement. He noted that this milestone facilitates the smooth execution of ambitious upcoming missions, such as the Bharatiya Antriksha Station, Chandrayaan 4, and Gaganyaan. Singh expressed his congratulations to the ISRO team and conveyed that this progress is uplifting for every Indian.
He also mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ongoing support continues to inspire and uplift the spirits of those involved in the space sector.?
On December 30, ISRO successfully launched its ambitious Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission. The PSLV C60 rocket lifted off from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, carrying two small satellites—SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target)—alongside 24 other payloads.
ISRO describes the SpaDeX mission as a cost-effective technology demonstrator aimed at demonstrating in-space docking capabilities with the two small satellites. This technology is essential for advancing India’s space ambitions, which include missions to the Moon, sample return operations from the lunar surface, and the construction and management of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), among others.
In-space docking technology plays a crucial role when multiple rocket launches are needed to achieve shared mission objectives. With this initiative, India is on track to become the fourth country in the world to master space docking technology.
In other news,?NASA and SpaceX announced on Wednesday that they have canceled the launch attempt for the Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station. This decision was made due to a hydraulic system issue involving a ground support clamp arm for the Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A in Florida's Kennedy Space Center. They noted that the next potential launch opportunity is now expected to be no earlier than 5:00 am (IST) on March 15, pending a thorough review of the problem that was identified.
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