BENGALURU: Several weeks after it first achieved docking of two satellites in space as part of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDex) mission, Isro Thursday said it has successfully undocked the two satellites. This potentially paves way for more docking attempts using the same satellites as Isro had said it would do after the initial docking.
Isro said the undocking operation took place today at approximately 9.20am in a 460km circular orbit with a 45° inclination. This follows the successful docking of the satellites on Jan 16, 2025. The space agency said that the sequence for undocking was extension of the second satellite, release of the lever, disengagement of the lever and issuance of the “decapture” command between the two satellites.
“The satellites are now orbiting independently and their health is normal. With this operation, Isro has successfully demonstrated all capabilities required for rendezvous, docking and undocking operations in a circular orbit,” Isro said.
It added that the operation was closely monitored through ground stations in Bengaluru, Lucknow, and Mauritius. Officials noted that exhaustive ground simulations and analysis were crucial to achieving the undocking on the first attempt.
According to Isro, the in-orbit performance of the docked satellites was extensively analysed, with a viable operational window identified from March 10 to March 25. Isro plans to conduct further experiments with the satellites in the coming days.
Isro chairman V Narayanan had told TOI on Feb 17: “…This is not a one-time operation. We’ll conduct multiple docking attempts to demonstrate our capability to perform the procedure reliably and repeatedly beginning mid-March.”
Now that the undocking is complete, more docking attempts are expected to evaluate: How precisely Isro can execute multiple docking maneuvers, how well the algorithms perform under various conditions, how the integrated inertial systems function and how the propulsion system performs during repeated operations.
As first reported by TOI in Jan, for the next phase of docking trials, Isro plans to separate the satellites by shorter distances, potentially not exceeding 100 metres, unlike the initial approach.