After China, ISRO holds mock 'dogfight' in space using SPADEX satellites

A month after US raised concerns about China carrying out mock 'dogfights' with satellites in orbit, India has achieved the same feat on the back of its success with the SPADEX mission.

This manoeuvre in space, between a 'chaser' and 'target' satellite, resembles aerial dogfights and is a technically complex and difficult to execute.

While India had not initially planned on such a mission, smart managemenet of resources paved the way.

After the completion of the SPADEX mission, ISRO saw that the two satellites involved, SDX 01 and SDX 02, had around 50 per cent leftover fuel, courtesy a precision rocket launch and frugal orbital management.

Utilising the leftover fuel, ISRO initiated a 'dogfight' between the two satellites, successfully carrying out the sophisticated manoeuvre.

Commenting on the same, Brigadier (Retd) Anshuman Narang, Director and Founder Atma Nirbhar Soch, an independent think tank, told NDTV: "Through this dogfight in space, ISRO is pushing the right technological frontier. It's a good thing that this technology demonstration of peaceful robotisation in space through advanced swadeshi technology."

"This space modernization and autonomisation through indigenisation and intelligentisation is what today's atmanirbhar Bharat needs," he added.

The ISRO feat comes on the back of the full completion of the SPADEX mission in April, and months after it was reported that China had executed a space 'dogfight' using satellites.

In March this year, the US Space Force also warned of China's evolving capabilities closing the gap between the two countries.

While the aim of China's manoeuvre in space was not clear, US Space Force vice-chief Michael A Guetlein had said, "That’s what we call dogfighting in space. They are practicing tactics, techniques, and procedures to do on-orbit space operations from one satellite to another."