Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 16 : Karnataka minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after it successfully concluded the docking process of two satellites.
"It's a matter of pride for us. ISRO and our scientists have been doing a tremendous job for this country for the last 70 years, we can say," Gundu Rao told reporters here.
"ISRO was founded in the 1960s. They have done great work. I want to congratulate the team, the engineers and all the people who have contributed. I think it's great scientific progress for us and it is going to help in nation-building. That's what I think is a major contribution," he added.
ISRO on Thursday morning announced that the much-awaited satellite docking has been concluded, with India becoming the fourth country to do the same. "India became the 4th country to achieve successful Space Docking. Congratulations to the entire team! Congratulations to India," ISRO posted on X.
SpaDeX docking process completed manoeuvring from 15 meters to 3 metres hold the point with precision, leading to successful spacecraft capture.
"SpaDeX Docking Update: Docking Success Spacecraft docking successfully completed! A historic moment. Let's walk through the SpaDeX docking process: Manoeuvre from 15m to 3m hold point completed. Docking was initiated with precision, leading to successful spacecraft capture. Retraction was completed smoothly, followed by rigidisation for stability. Docking successfully completed," ISRO announced, adding, "Post docking, control of two satellites as a single object is successful. Undocking and power transfer checks to follow in coming days."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the success of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) project was a stepping stone for future space missions.
"Congratulations to our scientists at ISRO and the entire space fraternity for the successful demonstration of space docking of satellites. It is a significant stepping stone for India's ambitious space missions in the years to come," PM Modi posted on X.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said this paves the way for the smooth conduct of ambitious future missions including the Bharatiya Antriksha Station and Chandrayaan 4.
"Congrats #ISRO. Finally made it. SPADEX has accomplished the unbelievable... docking complete... and it is all indigenous 'Bharatiya Docking System'. This paves the way for smooth conduct of ambitious future missions including the Bharatiya Antriksha Station and Chandrayaan 4 & Gaganyaan. PM Sh@narendramodi's continuous patronage keeps the spirits soaring... here at Bengaluru," the Union Minister of State (MoS) for Earth Sciences posted on X.
Earlier, SpaDeX project director N Surendran said that this experiment would prove fruitful for future assignments like the Bharatiya Antariksha Station and the Chandrayaan-4 mission since the docking mechanism was becoming necessary.