India on Thursday became the fourth country to successfully achieve an unmanned docking in space, a feat seen as pivotal for future missions as New Delhi cements its place as a global space power.

India became the world's fourth nation on Thursday to achieve the feat of space docking, a technological milestone that underscores its ambitions to expand its share of a rapidly growing $400-billion global space market.

India said it has successfully executed the first space docking experiment, becoming only the fourth country in the world to master a critical technology required for other ambitious projects.

The Indian Space Research Organization successfully conducted an unmanned docking in space, making India the fourth country to complete the maneuver.

The spacecraft were blasted off from Sriharikota launch pad in southern India on 30 December on a single rocket. Once airborne, they separated. The docking process, initially scheduled for 7 January,