India has carried out unmanned docking in space for the first time
India has successfully carried out an unmanned docking in space. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said on January 16.
"Spacecraft docking successfully completed! A historic moment," ISRO said in a message on the social network X (former Twitter).
According to CNN, ISRO's mission called Space Docking Experiment (SpaDex) involves launching two small spacecraft into low Earth orbit, each weighing about 220 kilograms.
On December 30 last year, the Target and Chaser vehicles launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh aboard an Indian-made PSLV rocket.
"This is an important step towards India's ambitious space missions in the coming years", Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on social media X.
The docking technology is essential for tasks such as satellite servicing and multiple rocket launches. India has thus become the fourth country to successfully complete the mission. Earlier, Russia, the US and China were able to dock.
Earlier, on September 18, The Indian Express reported that the Indian authorities approved four major projects in the space sector. It was reported that ISRO plans to launch a mission "Venus" in March 2028, when the Earth and Venus will be as close to each other as possible. A mission to the Moon is also being prepared to land on the surface of the satellite, collect samples, store them in a vacuum container and bring them back.
Before that, on June 30, it was reported that India is developing a new generation rocket to deliver people to the Moon. The carrier will be called "Surya" in honor of the sun god in Hinduism. The rocket will get a new engine powered by liquid oxygen and methane. The Surya is expected to deliver a craft to the surface of the moon by 2040.