The Bharatiya Antariksh Station represents the next phase of India's human spaceflight ambitions, enabling long-duration presence in space, advanced microgravity research and technology development, and supporting future human exploration missions.
Docking technology is crucial for sending people and cargo to space stations.
In a boost to the space programme, the government on Wednesday approved the Chandrayaan-4 mission to bring back moon rocks to earth, to send a spacecraft to orbit planet Venus and to expand the Gaganyaan project to build an Indian space station.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday said the two satellites launched to perform space docking experiments were brought within three metres and then moved safely back in a trial attempt.
'You can observe a lot of things from space.' 'Another thing is communication, in real time, especially in war-like situations.' 'During Operation Sindoor, we could play our part well.'
India is marching towards becoming the fourth country in the world to have space docking technology.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, India's second astronaut, shares his journey from a shy child hearing stories of Rakesh Sharma to becoming part of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station. He emphasizes the role of the IAF in his transformation and inspires India's youth to explore space.
The two Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) satellites that the Indian Space Research Organisation is hoping to unite are at a distance of 1.5 km and will be brought much closer on January 11, the space agency said on Friday.
The Indian government has approved the construction of a third launch pad at Sriharikota, capable of sending heavier spacecraft into orbit. This new facility will support India's ambitious space program, including the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission and a lunar landing. The launch pad will be built at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre and is expected to be operational within four years.
Dubbed as a prelude to ISRO setting up its own Space Station by 2035, the PSLV-C60 mission would also make India join an elite club in achieving this feat which is expected to take place in the coming days.