The Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) satellites, which ISRO planned to unite early Thursday, faced an unexpected issue late Wednesday, forcing it to postpone the procedure for the second time in just three days. "While making a manoeuvre to reach 225m between satellites, the drift was found to be more than expected, post non-visibility period. The planned docking for tomorrow (January 9) is postponed. Satellites are safe," ISRO announced at around 9 pm on Wednesday.
The driftmanoeuvrer for the chaser satellite — one of the two satellites designated as chaser and target — began at 8:05 pm. Since their launch on December 30, ISRO has been meticulously preparing for the docking, which involves a series of complex steps. Each stage has been closely monitored from the ground, with clearance required before moving to the next phase.
This latest delay comes just days after ISRO had rescheduled the first docking attempt. On January 6, the agency identified a need for further ground simulation validations based on an abort scenario and moved the docking attempt to January 9.
Space docking is a highly sophisticated procedure that requires precision and coordination. To date, only three nations — the United States, Russia, and China — have successfully mastered this challenging feat.