India becomes 4th nation to complete unmanned docking in space
The ISRO announced the demonstration of the maneuver in a statement, calling it "a historic moment."
The Space Docking Experiment Mission, known as SpaDex, involved two satellites named Chaser and Target, each weighing about 485 pounds. They were launched into space from Sriharikota launch pad in southern India on Dec. 30.
Since then, the two satellites have been moving toward one another. On Thursday morning, they docked -- meaning they latched onto one another -- before undocking again.
India now joins the United States, Russia and China as the four countries to complete the maneuver.
India had originally planned to complete the maneuver on Jan. 7 but postponed it by two days. Docking was again postponed on Jan. 9 due to drift, the ISRO said, while remarking that the satellites were safe.
"Congratulations to our scientists at @isro and the entire space fraternity for the successful demonstration of space docking of satellites," Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India said on X. "It is a significant stepping stone for India's ambitious space missions in the years to come."
Jitendra Singh, India's science minister, described the feat as having "accomplished the unbelievable.
"This paves the way for smooth conduct of ambitious future missions," including the Bharatiya Antriksha Station, a modular space station that Indian is building.
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