The Indian Space Research Organisation created history as it surprised the world with the successful docking of two satellites in the early hours of January 16, 2025, and joined the elite club of three top space powers (the USA, Russia and China) as the fourth member. Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) Mission was launched on December 30, 2024, to validate and demonstrate Satellite Docking Capability as a stepping stone for the Future Indian Space Station.
On December 30, 2024, at 2215 hours, mission director N Surendran cleared the launch of the SpaDeX project. Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV CA 60 soared in the sky gracefully enveloped by a cloud of orange flames from the first Launchpad at the spaceport of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota island, Andhra Pradesh, carrying twin satellites weighing 220 kg each. After a journey of 15 minutes, at a distance of 475 km from Earth, Satellite SpaDeX B (Target) was released at 15.1 minutes and established in orbit, and after three seconds, SpaDeX A (Chaser) was delivered as planned.
The initial distance between the two satellites was about 30 km. Gradually they were to be brought nearer for docking on January 7, 2025, but it was postponed to a new date. The second manoeuvre was made on January 9. The third attempt was executed on January 12 when both satellites were brought as close as 3 metres and later moved away to safety distance. After analysis and validation of vital data, the twin satellites were finally docked on January 16, 2025.
Then, ISRO chairman S Somanath said beamingly that this mission would be a stepping stone for future Bhartiya Anthriksh Station (BAS), Lunar manned missions and Inter-planetary missions.
Main Objectives of the Mission
- Autonomous rendezvous and smooth docking of two satellites using V bar approach
- Smooth Electrical Power Transfer between two spacecraft.
- Composite spacecraft control using the Altitude control system of other spacecraft while in docked position.
- After a specific duration smooth undocking and re-operate as independent satellites and operate their payloads.
- Other payloads of PS 4 – There are a total of 22 more Payloads in PS 4. There is a Robotic Arm configuration, which would be helpful in clearing space debris/garbage. The space farm experiment to germinate seeds of various vegetables. The final objective is to establish a future self-contained manned Indian space station.
Twin Landmarks of 2017
The year 2017 was a watershed in the long march of space research in India. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) achieved twin landmarks. First, on February 15, 2017, ISRO created a world record by launching and successfully deploying 104 satellites from seven countries the USA, Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates including India on board 39thflight of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C37 (PSLV) also called the Work Horse, beating the old world record held by Russia of 37 satellites in single mission.
The second glorious milestone was the launching of the most powerful rocket, Geo Synchronous Launch Vehicle Mark lll (GSLV Mk llI) also called Fat Boy fondly by project scientists on June 5, 2017, carrying 3,136 kg GSAT 19 heavy satellite with communication transponders and deploying it, defying the ban on the supply of cryogenic rocket engines by space powers on ISRO.
Another dream project was declared by the Prime Minister from the ramparts of Red Fort on August 15, 2018, will be the launch of the Gaganyaan, a manned space carrying Vyomnauts to outer space and bringing them safely back but had to be postponed due to Covid epidemic. Chandrayaan 3 was a golden mission of ISRO when the Vikram spacecraft successfully landed on the Lunar South Pole on August 23, 2024.
Sages Were Experts in Astronomy
Space research in India dates back to the Vedic era, as old sages were experts in astronomy and the study of various constellations, the sun, moon and Nav Grahs (nine planets) in determining the fate of an empire, group or an individual. Celebrated astronomer mathematicians, Aryabhata in 500 CE and Bhaskar in 630 CE calculated the rotation and revolution of the earth around the sun along with the movement of other planets.
Jantar Mantar meteorological observatories were constructed in Jaipur and Delhi by Rajput kings. Indian scientists such as Dr CV Raman, SK Mitra, and Meghanand Saha contributed to scientific principles applicable in space research in the pre-independence era. The founding fathers of Space and Atomic research were Dr Vikram Sarabhai who established the Physical Research Lab at Ahmadabad and Dr Homi Jahangir Bhabha who founded the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in 1945.
The Indian National Committee for Space Research was formed by Dr Vikram Sarabhai, India’s top nuclear and aero-space scientist, under the Department of Atomic Energy Commission (DAE) in 1962 with the approval of Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru. The committee was later renamed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1969. Space Commission, as an independent organisation under the Department of Space, came into existence in 1972. Thus, space research activities were institutionalised under ISRO, which is controlled by the Prime Minister through the Department of Space (DOS).
On January 7, both satellites were brought nearer from the initial distance of about 30 km. On January 12, they were brought as close as three metres and later moved away to a safe distance. After analysing the vital data, the twin satellites were finally docked on January 16, 2025
First Indian-made Satellite
The first office of ISRO was established in Saint Mary Magdelene Church at Thumba Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Aryabhata was the first Indian-made satellite by ISRO, which was successfully established in orbit by a USSR Soyuz rocket on April 19, 1975. Rohini, a meteorological satellite, was launched into orbit by the Indian Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV 3) in 1980. ISRO progressed by leaps and bounds and successfully launched project Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) to launch satellites in polar orbits and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) for placing heavier payloads into higher geostationary orbits. These rockets have launched numerous communication satellites, and Earth observation satellites, Navigation systems such as GAGAN and INRSS have been deployed in January 2014 and later, the same year ISRO used an indigenous cryogenic engine CE 7.5 in GSLV D5 launch of GSAT14, a remarkable achievement.
ISRO is the national space agency of the Republic of India. The headquarters of the organisation is located at Bengaluru, Karnataka. It operates under the Department of Space, which is directly controlled by PMO. ISRO was officially raised on August 15, 1969, by Dr Vikram Sarabhai, a legend. It is the primary agency to perform tasks related to space applications, the space exploration. Space research and development of space-related technologies. It is rated as one of the top five government space agencies in the world. It has acquired reliable launch platforms, mastered Cryogenic engine technology, launched interplanetary missions, and deployed and managed a large group of artificial intelligence satellites. The total human resources employed in the organisation are 20,000 dedicated scientists/technical and administrative staff. The annual budget of the agency is $ 2 billion.
The various branches of ISRO are Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the largest base, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), U R Rao Satellite Centre (URRSC), Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (SDSC/SHAR), Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching station (TELRS), ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network controlled by Master Control facility, is based on several ground tracking stations located all over world. Antrix Corporation and New Space India are the commercial and marketing wings. Mission Moon, Mission Mars and Manned space flight are the flagship projects of ISRO being watched and assessed by the world’s top space agencies. The details of each project are narrated:
The first office of ISRO was established in Saint Mary Magdelene Church at Thumba Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Aryabhata was the first Indian-made satellite by ISRO, which was successfully established in orbit by a USSR Soyuz rocket on April 19, 1975. Meteorological satellite Rohini was launched in 1980
Chandrayaan I: The first lunar mission was launched by India, the fourth nation in the world, to accomplish it, on October 22, 2008, to reach lunar orbit and be in orbit for 2 years and also sent an impactor to land on the the moon’s south pole. The payload was ferried to lunar orbit by PSLV XL C11. The spacecraft was inserted in lunar orbit on November 8, 2008, and on November 14, 2008, Lander was stuck near crater Shacklenton on the moon, making India the 4th country in the world to place its insignia on the moon. The point of impact was named the Jawahar Point. The cost of the project was Rs 386 crore. The mission was finally terminated on August 28, 2009. It gave a great boost to India’s space programme. Its greatest achievement is to discover lunar water in the form of ice in the lunar polar region. NASA located Chandrayaan 1 in 2017 still orbiting the moon but no link could be established.
Chandrayaan 2: The second and more advanced was christened Chandrayaan 2, launched at 1443 hours on July 22, 2019, on board GSLV Mark lll from the second launch pad of SDSC, Sriharikota. The total payload was almost 4000 kg. The indigenous mission comprised an Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and a six-wheeled rover (Pragyan). The cost of the project was approximately Rs 800 crore. The mission objective was to initially place the orbiter in the lunar orbit and then release Vikram with the rover to soft-land on the surface of the moon and finally, Pragyan to roll down on the surface of the moon and move for a probe. The launch was perfect, the orbiter was placed in orbit on August 20, 2019, as per copy-book style, the lander was detached in time and headed for the lunar south pole on September 6, 2019, but in the last 200 metres, it deviated and lost control and probably crash-landed on the surface of the moon. The mission was declared closed at 0143 hours on September 7, 2019. Then ISRO chief K Sivan had tears in his eyes, but the next day PM addressed and remotivated the whole team for a wonderful effort. Chandrayan 2 orbiter is still active.
Mangalyaan 1 (MOM): The Mars mission of India was named Mangalyaan and the project team fondly nicknamed MOM (Mars Orbitor Mission). It was India’s first interplanetary space probe. The mission was launched on Novembeer 5, 2013, with PSLV XL C25 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre launchpad 1. The spacecraft reached Mars orbit on September 23, 2014, after a 298-day long journey. The additional payloads on MOM were the Mars colour HD camera, Thermal spectrometer, Methane sensor, Mars exospheric composition analyser and Lyman alfa photometer. The successful mission gave the honour of being the fourth space agency in the world to reach Mars orbit after Roscosmos, NASA, and the European space agency, the first Asian country to reach the Martian orbit and the first nation in the globe to reach Mars in its maiden attempt. The life of MOM was planned for six months but it is still live and under control forwarding close-ups of Red Planet. On July 1, 2020, it transmitted clear images of a satellite of Mars.
NAVIC: The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is an indigenous autonomous regional navigation system that provides accurate real-time positioning of troops, vehicles, ships, submarines, aircraft and missiles and also accurate time based on a cluster of Indian satellites. The project has been termed as Navigation with Indian Constellation (NAVIC). The area covered will be the whole of India and 1500 km beyond in all directions. The first launch happened on July 1, 2013, and the ninth on April 12, 2018. At present, the constellation consists of 8 operational, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H and 1l. Satellite 1 H was lost in orbit. This system has dual use mode, open for civilian usage and encrypted for military use. Satellites are located at geo stat/synchronous orbit at the height of 36,000 km. Four more satellites 1J, 1K, 1L and 1L will be launched by 2031. The cost of the project is $ 315 million. Mobile receivers have been integrated with the NAVIC system and soon will be available for commercial use.
ISRO has a glorious record, which includes launching 417 satellites of 34 nations, 117 spacecraft missions, 86 launch missions, 13 student nanosatellites, 2 Re-entry missions, one multinational satellite, an inter-planetary mission, a space station, a solar mission and a Venus probe mission
CHANDRAYAAN 3: In spite of the uncontrolled hard landing of Chandrayaan 2, ISRO continued the research with strong determination supported by the present government to achieve the target of soft landing on the surface of the moon. Chandrayaan 3 was finally launched from SDSC Shriharikota on July 14, 2023. It comprised Propulsion Module, Vikram Lunar Lander 2.0, and Pragyan Lunar Rover 2.0. The spacecraft entered the lunar orbit successfully on August 3, 2023. India became the first country to touch down softly near the Lunar South Pole at 1804 IST on August 23, 2024. A landmark event as India joined the super space club of countries (Russia, the USA and PRC) whose spacecraft have landed softly on the moon. Pragyan Rover rolled out of Vikram Lander and ventured on the surface of the moon for about 100 metres. The Vikram went into sleep mode as the lunar night approached after 12 days of Day on the Moon. The propulsion unit also returned to Earth orbit on September 3, 2024, marking the end of the successful mission. India named the landing spot Shiv Shakti Point. Indian Vikram with Tricolour marked on its golden body with Pragyaan will be an everlasting landmark on Chanda Mama.
ADITYA L1 (SOLAR PROBE MISSION): ISRO launched Aditya L1, a daring mission to probe the Solar Corona from First Sun Langarian Point in space on September 3, 2023. After travelling about 1.5 million km from the earth, it was successfully placed into final orbit as planned at L1 Point. The main objective is to study the coronal mass ejections, magnetic fields, and other parameters affecting ‘Space Weather’. It is about 400 kg satellite and will study the Sun’s corona from visible and infrared bands.
GAGANYAAN: The manned spacecraft flight project has been named Gaganyaan-4. The spacecraft is being designed to carry a crew of 2/3 (Vyomnauts) aboard the flight in space and will orbit the earth for 7 days and land back to Earth. ISRO had planned to send 3 unmanned Gaganyaan missions. The unmanned prototype, planned for December 2020, was delayed due to the pandemic, it will now be launched in early 2025 and the manned mission will take off with a crew module designed by DRDO/HAL onboard Fat Boy GSLV Mark lll, as per the schedule in 2026.
ISRO has competed with honour with top four government space agencies of the world and has a glorious record of launching 417 foreign satellites of 34 nations, 117 spacecraft missions, 86 launch missions, 13 student nanosatellites, 2 Re-entry missions, one cosmonaut to Soyuz 7, one multinational satellite, launching maximum number of satellites in single mission and one inter-planetary mission, Space station, Solar mission and Venus probe are in early stages of development. The ISRO team deserve special appreciation for the wonderful achievements in 2023-25 and I also wish Dr V Narayanan more laurels, who has taken over as the new Chairman of ISRO and Secretary of the Department of Space on January 15, 2025. SpaDeX Mission has added another milestone in ISRO’s golden journey.
-The writer is an Indian Army veteran and a defence analyst. He has keen interest in Geo-strategic affairs and writes regularly on internal and external affairs issues related to India and neighbours. The views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
