NEW DELHI, India, Jan 16: India has become the fourth country to successfully achieve unmanned spacecraft docking, a milestone seen as crucial for the future of space exploration and a testament to the country’s growing capabilities as a global space power.

The United States, Russia, and China are the only other nations to have developed and tested similar docking technology.

“Spacecraft docking successfully completed! A historic moment,” the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced on X.

The mission, named the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDex), involved deploying two small spacecraft—Target and Chaser—into low Earth orbit. Each spacecraft weighed around 220 kilograms and was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Andhra Pradesh on December 30 aboard an Indian-made PSLV rocket.

On Thursday, the spacecraft rendezvoused and successfully docked.

Minister for Space, Jitendra Singh, hailed the mission’s success, noting on X that it marked the beginning of a new era in space exploration, highlighting India’s technological prowess and ambitious goals. “SpaDex mission showcases India’s technological advancements and determination for the future of space,” he said at the time of launch.

In-docking technology is seen as vital for future missions, enabling tasks such as satellite servicing and coordinated rocket launches to meet mission objectives. According to ISRO, mastering this technology is key to India’s ambitions of landing a national astronaut on the moon, building a homegrown space station, and returning lunar samples.

The docking technology will also support material transfer between spacecraft, including payloads, lunar samples, and possibly humans in the future, Singh explained during a press conference on December 31.

As part of the SpaDex mission, the two spacecraft demonstrated the transfer of electric power between them once docked, which is crucial for in-space operations, including robotics, spacecraft control, and payload management during future missions.

Before the successful docking, a “trial attempt” was conducted on Sunday, where the two spacecraft were gradually brought to within 3 meters of each other in orbit, before being separated to a safe distance.

The successful docking followed two previous postponements, on January 7 and 9, due to technical issues and the spacecraft drifting further than expected during a maneuver to close the gap.

India’s space ambitions have gathered significant momentum under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has focused on elevating India’s position on the global stage. In 2023, India made history as the fourth nation to land a spacecraft on the moon, with the Chandrayaan-3 mission achieving a soft landing near the moon’s South Pole. The mission has since yielded valuable data, helping scientists understand the moon’s formation and evolution.

Looking ahead, India has set ambitious goals, including launching its first crewed space mission in the coming years, with plans to send an astronaut to the moon by 2040—a feat only the United States has previously achieved. India also aims to establish its own space station, the Bharatiya Antariksha Station, by 2035, and to launch an orbital mission to Venus in 2028. The nation also plans to return moon samples as part of its Chandrayaan program by 2027.

Additionally, India is increasingly focusing on commercializing its space sector by encouraging private enterprise and facilitating foreign investment. This push has spurred the growth of small satellite launches in low Earth orbit, which are being done more cost-effectively.

For the SpaDex mission, the spacecraft and rocket were integrated and tested at private company Ananth Technologies, marking a significant step in India’s growing space industry.