ISRO undocks Spadex satellites, paves way for India’s lunar exploration

The Indian Space Research Organisation on Thursday announced the successful completion of its SpaDeX mission’s space de-docking, marking a significant milestone in India’s future in space exploration.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh extended his congratulations to the ISRO team after the “SPADEX satellites accomplished the unbelievable de-docking” and said that the event was “heartening for every Indian!”

“This paves the way for smooth conduct of ambitious future missions including the Bharatiya Antriksha Station, Chandrayaan 4 and Gaganyaan,” Singh said in a post on X.

Further he said that “PM Narendra Modi’s continuous patronage keeps the spirits soaring.”

The undocking process involved a precise sequence of events, culminating in the separation of the SDX-01 (Chaser) and SDX-02 (Target) satellites that was launched on December 30 in 2024, using Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C60, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

It included the successful extension of SDX-2, the planned release of Capture Lever 3, and the disengagement of the Capture Lever in SDX-2. After these maneuvers, the decapture command was issued in both SDX-1 and SDX-2, leading to the successful separation of the satellites.

ISRO successfully completed docking of the two SPADEX satellites (SDX-01 and SDX-02) in the early hours of January 16 this year, marking India’s entry towards becoming the fourth country -alongside China, Russia and the United States-in the world to have space docking technology.

According to the space organization, the groundbreaking mission aims to showcase India’s technological prowess in spacecraft rendezvous, docking, and undocking — a critical capability for future advancements such as satellite servicing, space station operations, and interplanetary exploration.

It is a cost-effective technology demonstrator mission for the demonstration of in-space docking using two small spacecraft launched by PSLV.

This technology is essential for India’s space ambitions such as putting an Indian on Moon, sample return from the Moon, the building and operation of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), etc. In-space docking technology is essential when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve common mission objectives.

The SpaDeX spacecraft were designed and realized by the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) with the support of other ISRO centers (VSSC, LPSC, SAC, IISU, and LEOS).