India’s space agency launched its first space docking mission on an Indian-made rocket on Monday in an attempt to become the fourth country to achieve the advanced technological feat.
The mission, seen as pivotal for future space endeavours, including satellite servicing and the operation of India’s planned space station, lifted off from India’s main spaceport at 11:30 p.m. ET Sunday (4:30 p.m. GMT) aboard the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) “workhorse” PSLV rocket.
After around 15 minutes, the mission director called the launch mission successful, once the spacecraft reached an altitude of around 480 kilometres.
ISRO chief S. Somanath said at a press conference that the docking test itself is expected to happen on Jan. 7.
In-space docking technology is crucial when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve shared mission objectives.