ISRO docks two satellites in orbit with SpaDeX, India's first docking and a key step for its space station

ISRO/Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS)

ISRO joined two small satellites, a chaser and a target launched on a PSLV on December 30, making India the fourth country to dock spacecraft after the US, Russia and China. Docking is a basic requirement for assembling and resupplying the Bharatiya Antariksh Station.

• Two earlier attempts, on January 7 and 9, were postponed for technical reasons.
• The same capability is needed for the Chandrayaan-4 lunar sample return.