Gates in the sky: On ISRO and SpaDeX
On December 30, 2024, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its PSLV-C60 mission. Its primary payload was a pair of satellites for the Space Docking Experiment, or SpaDeX, to demonstrate orbital rendezvous and docking. The ability to execute it in orbit is an essential stepping stone to more complex missions. The launch was also hailed as ISRO ending the year on a high, but SpaDeX reminded us that sophisticated spaceflight missions care little for arbitrary deadlines. The satellites successfully docked on January 16 after a few abortive attempts. They were expected to dock on January 7, which ISRO postponed to January 9, then brought them close without docking on January 12 in an apparent data-taking effort. It nixed the January 9 attempt after the satellites were found to...