India is poised to achieve a significant milestone in space exploration with its first-ever orbital docking attempt scheduled for late Wednesday, January 8. The event will be broadcast live, allowing global audiences to witness the action starting at 9:30 p.m. EST (02:30 GMT on January 9), coinciding with 8:00 a.m. India Standard Time.
The Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) involves two satellites developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), which launched on December 30. Initially set for a January 6 docking, ISRO postponed the operation to conduct additional ground simulations following an identified abort scenario.
This mission marks India's inaugural demonstration of an automated docking system intended for future spacecraft operations around Earth and the Moon. ISRO aims to utilize this technology for the Chandrayaan-4 sample return mission to the Moon’s south pole by 2028 and for constructing a space station in lunar orbit by 2040.
The Chandrayaan-4 mission will require a sample return capsule to dock with a spacecraft for its journey back to Earth, while the planned Bharatiya Antariksha Station will necessitate docking ports for incoming crews and cargo. Similar docking technologies have been developed by various space agencies, including NASA and the European Space Agency.
Diving into the technical aspects, SpaDeX will employ a Chaser and Target spacecraft, each weighing 485 pounds (220 kilograms), to execute the docking test at an altitude of 290 miles (467 kilometers) above Earth. This endeavor is expected to place India among a select group of nations proficient in orbital docking, as stated by Jitendra Singh, India's Minister of State for Science and Technology.
Moreover, ISRO is leveraging the SpaDeX mission to test additional technologies pertinent to space stations. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, which deployed the SpaDeX satellites, also carried various experiments on a platform named POEM-4, including India's first space robotic arm, designed to maneuver across a spacecraft’s exterior, akin to the Canadarm2 on the International Space Station.
ISRO officials confirmed the robotic arm's operational status through a social media update, showcasing its functionality in a video posted on January 4.