India's ISRO achieves milestone in satellite docking in space

India on Thursday became the fourth nation in the world to achieve space docking, marking a technological milestone that underscores its ambitions to expand its share in the rapidly growing $400 billion global space market.

At around 9 a.m. IST (0330 GMT), the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully carried out the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), a spokesperson for the agency said.

Two ISRO satellites, Target and Chaser — each roughly the size of a large refrigerator — successfully latched onto each other and unlatched after a series of complex orbital maneuvers.

The indigenous technology, crucial for satellite servicing, space station operations, and interplanetary missions, positions India to play a significant role in the commercial and exploratory frontiers of space.

"India has ambitious missions planned, and to achieve those, this is an important technology we must have. Various missions, like building a space station, need assembly in space, which is not possible without space docking," Indian astrophysicist Jayant Murthy said.

The mission was postponed twice — first because the docking process needed further validation through ground simulations, and later due to an issue arising from excess drift between the satellites.

SpaDeX, launched on Dec. 30 from India’s main spaceport, used an Indian-made rocket to deploy the satellites into orbit.

Among the various payloads and experiments were eight cowpea seeds ISRO sent to space to study plant growth in microgravity conditions. The seeds germinated within four days of the mission’s launch.

The mission will also demonstrate the transfer of electric power between docked spacecraft, a capability vital for in-space robotics, composite spacecraft control, and payload operations after undocking.

Such technologies are essential for missions requiring multiple rocket launches to achieve shared objectives.

Space exploration and commercialization are key elements of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to position the country as a global superpower.

The successful SpaDeX mission “is a significant stepping stone for India’s ambitious space missions in the years to come,” Modi said on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday.

ISRO is focused on deep-space exploration and enabling private companies to commercialize the sector, with projects including solar studies, orbital astronaut missions, and planetary defense in collaboration with NASA.

The stakes are high. While the global commercial space market is expected to reach $1 trillion by 2030, India’s current share is just 2%, or $8 billion. The government aims to grow this to $44 billion by 2040.