NEW DELHI, May 5. /TASS/. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in April held a mock fight between two satellites launched as part of the SpaDeX space mission, NDTV reported.
According to the broadcaster, at the ISRO flight center’s command, the SDX 01 and SDX 02 satellites carried out a complicated rendezvous maneuver to approach each other at a speed of 28,800 kilometers per hour. Before that, the satellites had successfully completed autonomous docking and undocking in orbit for the second time in ISRO’s history. The additional approach maneuver was not initially included in the mission plan, but it was decided to carry out the mock fight in order to use up the remaining propellant onboard the two satellites. The experiment marks India’s advancement in the field of space technology, NDTV stressed.
ISRO launched the SDX 01 and SDX 02 satellites on December 30, 2024, to practice their docking in orbit, which is crucial for future manned space flights. The launch took place from a spaceport in Sriharikota. The space vehicles were placed into a 470-kilometer orbit. Their successful docking occurred on January 16, followed by undocking on March 13. India became the fourth country to perform such a mission in space.