India’s wait to become the fourth country in the world to achieve in-space docking has been stretched a little further. The experiment has been postponed from January 7 to January 9. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed this on Monday. According to ISRO, SpaDeX’s docking process requires further validation through ground simulations due to an abort scenario identified today. It seems that ISRO, established in 1969, is being more cautious, as in-space docking has been performed by only a few countries so far – the United States, Russia, and China.
The experiment involves higher stakes, as it will support the development of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station – India’s own space station. Additionally, the SpaDeX mission becomes more important as it will play a pivotal role in preparing for upcoming lunar missions, including Chandrayaan-4. Through this mission, the Bengaluru-based space agency will aim to collect critical data on autonomous docking in space without relying on Earth-based GNSS systems.
“The SpaDeX docking scheduled on January 7th is now postponed to January 9th. The docking process requires further validation through ground simulations based on an abort scenario identified today,” ISRO informed in a post on X.
Space docking technology is fundamental for missions that involve multiple spacecraft working together. It’s essential for building large structures in space, such as space stations or satellites. Earlier, on December 30, ISRO successfully launched the space docking mission, SpaDeX, aboard the trusted Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C60). The liftoff took place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
The carrier mainly launched with two spacecraft, each weighing around 220 kg – SDX01 (Spacecraft A, also known as ‘Chaser’) and SDX02 (Spacecraft B, also known as ‘Target’) as part of the SpaDeX mission. Spacecraft A is equipped with a high-resolution camera, while Spacecraft B carries a miniature multispectral payload and a radiation monitor.
The two spacecraft are set to approach within 3 meters of each other in space, ultimately achieving docking at an altitude of around 470 km above Earth. The docking system operates slowly at 10 mm/s and features identical systems on both spacecraft. It is smaller than the standard IDSS (International Docking System Standard), measuring just 450 mm and equipped with only two motors.
With SpaDeX, PSLV-C60 carried 24 innovative payloads under the PS4-Orbital Experiment Module (POEM-4). For the first time, the mission launched with a biological payload, sending ‘Spinacia Oleracea’ (spinach) into space. The experiment aims to explore its potential for food and nutrition in future space missions.
Last year, ISRO launched four major missions, including the PSLV-C59/Proba-3 Mission, EOS-08 Mission, and INSAT-3DS. The space agency also successfully inserted Aditya-L1 into a halo orbit at Lagrange Point 1. Meanwhile, Tracxn data shows that funding in India’s space sector dropped by 55% in 2024, falling to $59.1 million from $130.2 million the previous year.
