India launched two small satellites into orbit for its first space docking experiment, marking a key step toward the country’s goal of building its own space station and conducting a manned mission to the moon.
In an address following Monday’s launch, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, S. Somanath,
said the initial docking attempt could take place by January 7.
“This mission will be a forerunner for autonomous docking needed for future lunar missions like Chandrayaan-4 without the support of global navigation satellite systems from Earth,” ISRO had said in a Dec. 21 statement. “This technology is essential for India’s space ambitions such as Indian on Moon, sample return from the Moon, the building and operation of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) etc.”
If successful, India will join the US, Russia, and China in mastering the technology.
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi aims to establish India as a space power.
Last year, India became the first nation to reach the lunar south pole, and it plans to launch astronauts into orbit in 2025.
India is also among a select group of countries with probes studying the sun.
Modi’s government has opened the sector to foreign investment in manufacturing and satellite services, and India’s space agency is collaborating with space organizations globally.
In November, ISRO launched a satellite aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, marking the first time the agency has used one of Elon Musk’s rockets.
A joint NASA-ISRO satellite, set to measure the movements of land and ice-covered surfaces on Earth, is scheduled to launch from India early next year.
In December, an Indian rocket launched two European satellites, the first such mission by ISRO for its European counterpart in nearly two decades.
India’s space program began in the 1970s with support from the Soviet Union. Currently, Russia is providing spacesuits and other equipment for Gaganyaan, India’s mission to send astronauts into space for the first time, with Gaganyaan astronauts also receiving training in Russia.
