Indian space agency Isro has for the first time successfully conducted space docking by joining together two small craft in space. The technology is essential for the country’s future ambition to build an Indian space station and put a person on the Moon. The mission called SpaDeX blasted off from Sriharikota launch pad in southern India on 30 December. The two spacecraft, launched on a single rocket, separated in space. The docking process, initially scheduled for 7 January, was rescheduled a number of times.
On Thursday morning, the space agency announced that it had created history by becoming only the fourth country in the world with such technology after United States, Russia and China.
The two spacecraft on SpaDeX (short for Space Docking Experiment) are called SDX01 or the Chaser and SDX02 or the Target. Each weigh about 220kg (485lbs) and since their launch, they were travelling in space at a carefully chosen speed.
To begin with, the two spacecraft had to be in the same orbit so that the Chaser could start to approach the Target. On Thursday morning, scientists began by gradually reducing the speed of the two spacecraft – bringing them ever closer until they were just 3 metres apart. Then their connectors were latched together.
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