SpaDeX
Indian space mission
SpaDeX or Space Docking Experiment is a twin satellite mission developed by ISRO to mature and demonstrate technologies related to orbital rendezvous, docking, formation flying, which will have future applications in areas such as human spaceflight, in-space satellite servicing and other proximity operations.
SpaDeX consists of two modified IMS-1 class satellites weighing 220 kg each. During proximity operations one spacecraft acts as a Chaser and other acts as a target. Both spacecraft were launched together from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) aboard a dedicated Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on 30 December 2024 at 16:30:15 UTC and subsequently injected into slightly different orbits.
After deployment, the two spacecraft then executed manoeuvres to bring them together again. The Chaser (SDX01) approached the target (SDX02) and then carried out precision manoeuvres to complete a successful docking. With this success, India became one of the few countries in the world to have achieved a successful in-space docking using indigenous technology.
History
Conceptualisation
The research and development (R&D) needed to complete the project began with preliminary studies in 2016. The Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) was approved by the Government of India with an initial funding of ₹10 crore, cleared in 2017.As of July 2022, the SpaDeX project was sanctioned with approximately ₹124.47 crore (equivalent to ₹132 crore or US$14 million in 2023) in funding.
The Chaser and Target satellites, along with related docking technologies, were designed and implemented for the SpaDeX mission by U. R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) with assistance from Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU), and Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS).
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