India launches its first space docking mission

India has launched its first space docking mission, on an Indian-made rocket, in an attempt to become the fourth country to achieve the advanced technological feat.

The mission, called Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh state on Monday aboard the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) "workhorse" PSLV rocket. After around 15 minutes, the mission director called the launch successful after the spacecraft reached an altitude of around 470 km.

The mission is seen as pivotal for future space endeavours, including satellite servicing and the operation of the country's planned space station.

In-space docking technology is crucial when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve shared mission objectives.

The Indian mission involves deploying two small spacecraft, each weighing about 220 kilograms, into a 470-km circular orbit. It will also demonstrate the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, a capability vital for applications such as in-space robotics, composite spacecraft control and payload operations following undocking.

Each satellite carries advanced payloads, including an imaging system and a radiation-monitoring device designed to measure electron and proton radiation levels in space, providing critical data for future human spaceflight missions.

ISRO Chairman S Somanath said the actual testing of the docking technology could take place in about a week's time and indicated a nominal date of around January 7.

"The rocket has placed the satellites in the right orbit," he said. A successful demonstration would place India alongside the United States, Russia and China as the only countries to have developed and tested this capability.

"Display of this technology is not just about being able to join a rare group of countries who own it, it also opens up the market for ISRO to be the launch partner for various global missions that need docking facilities or assembly in space," said astrophysicist Somak Raychaudhary of Ashoka University.