New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday lauded the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully launching the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission.
The mission was launched on Monday at 10 pm. The PSLV C60 rocket carrying two small satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), along with 24 payloads, lifted off from the first launchpad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
About 15 minutes after liftoff, the two small spacecraft weighing about 220 kg each were launched into a 475-km circular orbit as intended.
Commending on the feat, the Home Minister said this was a grand success and opened a new path for the country’s space docking technology. He wrote on X, “Bharat paces to become the fourth nation to master space docking. Kudos to Team@isro on the successful launch of #SpaDeX Mission. This is a grand success that opens a new path for Bharat in space docking technology and strengthens its role as a global leader in space. All my best wishes to our geniuses for the journey ahead.”
India is now the fourth country, after the US, Russia, and China, to master the docking technology. “India becomes the fourth to join the select league of nations to seek Space docking, through its own indigenously developed ˜Bharatiya Docking System,” said Union Minister Jitendra Singh on X.
The technology will ‘pave the way for journey beyond the kies for ‘Gaganyaan’ and ‘Bharatiya Antriksha Station’, Singh said.