Two SpaDeX satellites ‘closing in for exciting handshake’: ISRO

The two satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), are in good condition. "At 15 metres, we see each other clearer and clearer, we are just 50 feet away for an exciting handshake

New Delhi: The two satellites launched by ISRO to perform space docking experiment were 15 metres apart and closing in for an “exciting handshake”, the space agency said on Sunday.

The two satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), are in good condition. “At 15 metres, we see each other clearer and clearer, we are just 50 feet away for an exciting handshake,” ISRO said in a post on X.

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SpaDeX Docking Update:

We are further close, we see each other from an Inter Satellite Distance (ISD) of 105m#SPADEX #ISRO pic.twitter.com/9O4Sydk0Ly

— ISRO (@isro) January 11, 2025

The mission, launched on December 30, aims to demonstrate in-space docking using small spacecraft.

The PSLV C60 rocket carrying the two 220-kilogramme satellites lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, with the spacecraft placed into a 475-kilometre circular orbit.

A successful demonstration of the SpaDeX will make India the fourth nation to master the complex technologies that are crucial for its future missions, such as the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and landing an astronaut on the moon.