Deepak Dwivedi
THE New Year has brought cheers to the space research community with the successful docking of two satellites in space, a feat that puts India among the elite group of three nations – United States, Russia and China – that possess such technology. With this, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has demonstrated a capability that is critical to executing more ambitious missions, like building a permanent space station or landing humans on the moon.
Docking, a high-precision mission, involves joining two or more fast-moving objects in space. The technology is crucial as large space assets cannot be launched into space as one entity. In the coming days, ISRO will perform undocking operations and check for the transfer of power between the two satellites. India’s next lunar mission, Chandrayaan-4, may see the application of the docking technology for the first time.
ISRO has been working on key technologies to realise its vision of setting up a space station by 2035 and sending humans to the moon by 2040. Besides a new heavy-lift launch vehicle capable of carrying up to 30 tonnes to low earth orbit, the missions would require docking capability. The Bharatiya Antariksh Station, the space station that India envisages, will be built by bringing together five modules in space.
The success of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) comes amid a fierce race between US and China, which are going all out to send a crew to the moon.
Beijing has been speedily expanding its military capabilities in space. This is worrisome, not only for the US, but also for India, whose relations with Beijing continue to be uneasy despite recent signs of thaw. The Chinese challenge makes it imperative for India to develop cuttingedge capabilities to protect its space assets such as satellites and indigenous launch vehicles. This should go hand in hand with greater stress on research and innovation to ensure that the country’s space programme remains on course for human spaceflight and other key missions.
The SpaDeX mission, which commenced with a significant investment of Rs 225 crore, involved launching two satellites weighing 220 kg each in a highly controlled sequence. They achieved an impressive peak distance of 12.8 km before successfully docking on January 16. ISRO’s innovation in satellite docking is likely to attract foreign investment and collaboration, paving the way for commercial opportunities in space tech.
The global space economy is projected to surpass $1 trillion by 2040, according to industry analysts, with countries like India poised to claim a significant share due to their cost-effective launch services and advanced technology.
