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BENGALURU: The two Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) satellites, by Saturday evening, achieved a distance of 230m from the distance of 1.5km.
“Arrested at Inter Satellite Distance (ISD) of 230 m, all sensors are being evaluated. Spacecraft’s health is normal,” Isro said. Again, the space agency did not commit to the time or date it plans to attempt the crucial docking experiments that would see the two satellites unite in space.
On Jan 10, Isro had said: “…Spacecraft are at a distance of 1.5 km and on hold mode. Further drift to 500 m is planned to be achieved by tomorrow (Jan 11) morning.” Isro said.
On Jan 9, Isro had put the satellites on a slow drift course after it was forced to put off the Jan 9 docking.
After the launch on Dec 30, Isro has been preparing for the docking, which requires multiple steps/stages, each of which was monitored from the ground and given a go-ahead before proceeding to the next.
However, it has had to postpone its docking attempt twice, once on Jan 7 and again on Jan 9. On Jan 6, a day before the first docking attempt was scheduled, Isro had found that the docking process required further validation through ground simulations based on an abort scenario it identified on the day. And the docking was rescheduled for Jan 9.
And, on Jan 8, Isro said: “While making a maneuver to reach 225m between satellites the drift was found to be more than expected, post non-visibility period. The planned docking for tomorrow (Jan 9) is postponed. Satellites are safe.” The space agency had initiated the drift on the chaser spacecraft — the two satellites are designated chaser and target — late on Jan 8.
On Jan 9, a day after the drift between satellites caused Isro to postpone SpaDeX for the second time, the space agency managed to put the spacecraft in a slow drift course. “…The drift has been arrested and spacecraft put in a slow drift course to move closer to each other. By tomorrow (Jan 10), it is expected to reach initialisation conditions,” Isro said Thursday.
Docking in space is a complex process and so far, only three other countries — the US, Russia and China — have mastered it.
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