India is about to join the “elite club” of China, the United States and Russia.India successfully launched a rocket carrying two small satellites of the "Space Docking Experiment" (SpaDeX), carrying out India's first space docking test flight mission.According to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), at 10 o'clock that night, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C60) was launched from India's Satish Dhawan Space Center, sending two satellites (220 kilograms each) into a 475-kilometer circular orbit, slightly higher than the expected 470-kilometer target.
According to the ISRO website, the main objective of the SpaDeX mission is to develop and demonstrate the technologies required for the rendezvous, docking and detachment of two small satellites (SDX01 "Chaser" and SDX02 "Target") in low Earth circular orbit.
"This technology is critical to India's space ambitions, such as India's moon landing, bringing back samples from the moon, building and operating the Indian space station, etc.," ISRO said. "When multiple rocket launches are required to achieve a common mission goal, space docking technology is crucial. With this mission, India is moving towards the goal of becoming the fourth country in the world with space docking technology."