March 15, 2025: India has joined the elite group of four nations that have successfully demonstrated satellite docking and undocking technology. This achievement was made possible by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment) mission, which successfully completed its docking operation on January 16, 2025.

The SpaDeX mission involved two small satellites, SDX-01 (Chaser) and SDX-02 (Target), which were launched on December 30, 2024, using the PSLV-C60. After a series of manoeuvres, the satellites successfully docked, and later, undocked, marking a significant milestone in India’s space program.

This achievement puts India in the company of three other nations that have demonstrated space docking technology: the United States, Russia and China. ISRO’s successful demonstration of satellite docking and undocking technology has significant implications for future space missions, including Chandrayaan-4 and others.