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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday said that two small spacecraft that are to dock as part of its technology demonstrator mission are at a distance of 230 metres and their health is normal.
"SpaDeX Status Update: Arrested at Inter Satellite Distance (ISD) of 230 m, all sensors are being evaluated. Spacecraft's health is normal," ISRO said in a post on X. The space agency had said on Friday that the two spacecraft are at a distance of 1.5 km and on hold mode and further drift to 500 meters is planned to be achieved by Saturday morning. ISRO had on Wednesday postponed the SpaDex mission which was scheduled for Thursday, after the satellites drifted more than expected during a manoeuvre. This was the second time that the docking experiment was postponed. It was originally scheduled for January 7. SpaDeX mission is a cost-effective technology demonstrator 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 Indian on Moon, sample return from the Moon, the building and operation of Bharatiya Antariksh Station. In-space docking technology is essential when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve common mission objectives. Through this mission, India is marching towards becoming the fourth country in the world to have space docking technology. The primary objective of the SpaDeX mission is to develop and demonstrate the technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft (SDX01, which is the Chaser, and SDX02, the Target, nominally) in a low-Earth circular orbit. The objectives also include demonstration of the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, which is essential for future applications such as in-space robotics, composite spacecraft control, and payload operations after undocking. ISRO had on December 30 launched PSLV-C60 with SpaDeX and innovative payloads. (ANI)
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