India's space agency, ISRO ( Indian Space Research Organisation), has confirmed the successful undocking of the SpaDex satellites. On March 13, with an accomplished post on X, ISRO expressed: “Spadex Undocking Successful! Key sequence of events: SDX-2 extension successful, Capture Lever 3 released as planned Capture Lever in SDX-2 disengaged Decapture command issued in SDX-1 & SDX-2. FINALLY, SUCCESSFUL UNDOCKING!”

On January 16, ISRO successfully conducted the SpaDeX docking experiment, making India the fourth nation, after the U.S., Russia and China, to achieve this milestone. The two satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), launched by PSLV C60 on December 30, 2024, were successfully docked on January 16. Following this achievement, the space agency announced that the undocking would happen in the coming days.

ISRO’s SpaDeX mission is a momentous project aimed at developing and testing technology for spacecraft rendezvous, docking, and undocking using two small satellites. This demonstration is crucial for future missions, including sending an Indian astronaut to the Moon, lunar sample return, and constructing and operating the Indian Space Station. The mission also aims to demonstrate the transfer of electric power between docked spacecraft, a crucial capability for future applications like in-space robotics, composite spacecraft control, and payload operations after undocking.

Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh confirmed that ISRO successfully performed the undocking experiment.

“Congrats team #ISRO. And heartening for every Indian! #SPADEX Satellites accomplished the unbelievable De-Docking… This paves the way for the smooth conduct of ambitious future missions, including the Bharatiya Antriksha Station, Chandrayaan 4 and Gaganyaan. PM Sh  @narendramodi ’s continuous patronage keeps the spirits soaring.” Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh praised the accomplishment on X.

ISRO Chairman V Narayanan told the news agency The New Indian Express that the successful undocking on the first attempt was a proud moment. He acknowledged that technical glitches had required multiple attempts before docking, but the undocking was completed in a single attempt.

Now, the performance of both satellites will be studied; they will capture images of each other, and their operations will be closely monitored.

“We carried out systematic experiments before undocking. We will be carrying out further experiments post-docking. The aim of the experiment is not to just dock and undock but future missions - Chandrayaan-4, the setting up of Bharatiya Antariksh Mission, and the Man on the Moon mission. For all this, the docking and undocking of the two satellites is just the beginning. The aim of ISRO is to hold the leader position in the space research sector, so time is not a constraint. We want to excel in the work,” Chairman Narayanan expressed.