Summary

India successfully launched its first space docking mission, SpaDex, aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket from Andhra Pradesh.

The mission deployed two small spacecraft into low-Earth orbit, aiming to complete an unmanned docking by January 7.

If successful, India will join the US, Russia, and China as the fourth nation to achieve this milestone, critical for projects like a lunar sample return and India’s planned space station (Bharatiya Antariksh Station).

ISRO called the achievement key to advancing India’s long-term space ambitions.