Hello, friends! In 1947, just 2 years after the end of World War II, tensions were increasing between America and the Soviet Union. Both countries emerged as Superpowers after the war, But there was a clash between their political ideologies. The heavy rivalry between the two was the start of a Cold War. Both countries were trying to develop their nuclear powers. So both countries were developing intercontinental ballistic missiles. A missile that might be used to deliver nuclear weapons from one continent to the other. From America to the Soviet Union, or from the Soviet Union to America. To cover such long distances, these ICBMs had to launch a rocket into outer space. Both countries knew that if either country developed a technology which can get them into space, then the country would have a huge advantage in terms of weaponry. That's why both countries were in fierce competition for getting into space first. This was the start of a space race between the two. In 1955, America announced their plans of launching artificial satellites into space. Some days after this announcement, the Soviet Union said that they too wanted to launch artificial satellites. Two years later, in October 1957, the Soviet Union surpassed America in this race. They made history by launching Sputnik. World's first artificial satellite. One month later, they launched another satellite, Sputnik 2. This time, there was a living creature in the satellite, for the first time. A dog named Laika. America caught up to the Soviet Union in January 1958, When they launched their first satellite, Explorer 1. The competition between the countries was so extreme, the motivation so high, that space technology was progressing rapidly. In the meanwhile, an Indian scientist, Dr Vikram Sarabhai, was quite inspired by the development of space technology. Especially after the launch of Sputnik in 1957, he realised how important space development is for the development of a country. By 1962, he had convinced Jawaharlal Nehru, that India should have its own space program. Friends, this was the birth of ISRO.

1. Will ISRO be able to beat NASA in the future?
Hello, friends!
In 1947, just 2 years after the end of World War II, tensions were increasing
between America and the Soviet Union. Both countries emerged as Superpowers
after the war, But there was a clash between their political ideologies. The heavy
rivalry between the two was the start of a Cold War. Both countries were trying
to develop their nuclear powers. So both countries were developing
intercontinental ballistic missiles. A missile that might be used to deliver nuclear
weapons from one continent to the other. From America to the Soviet Union, or
from the Soviet Union to America. To cover such long distances, these ICBMs had
to launch a rocket into outer space. Both countries knew that if either country
developed a technology which can get them into space, then the country would
have a huge advantage in terms of weaponry. That's why both countries were in
fierce competition for getting into space first. This was the start of a space race
between the two.

2. In 1955, America announced their plans of launching artificial satellites into
space. Some days after this announcement, the Soviet Union said that they too
wanted to launch artificial satellites. Two years later, in October 1957, the Soviet
Union surpassed America in this race. They made history by launching Sputnik.
World's first artificial satellite. One month later, they launched another satellite,
Sputnik 2. This time, there was a living creature in the satellite, for the first time.
A dog named Laika. America caught up to the Soviet Union in January 1958,
When they launched their first satellite, Explorer 1. The competition between the
countries was so extreme, the motivation so high, that space technology was
progressing rapidly. In the meanwhile, an Indian scientist, Dr Vikram Sarabhai,
was quite inspired by the development of space technology. Especially after the
launch of Sputnik in 1957, he realised how important space development is for
the development of a country. By 1962, he had convinced Jawaharlal Nehru, that
India should have its own space program. Friends, this was the birth of ISRO.
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Initially, ISRO was named, INCOSPAR Indian National Committee for Space
Research. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru set it up under the Department of
Atomic Energy Dr Vikram Sarabhai was made the Chairman, and this is why Dr
Sarabhai is now known as the Father of Indian Space Program. At the nascent
stage, INCOSPAR had limited infrastructure and resources. This is the reason
behind the photos where you see rocket parts being transported on cycles and
bullock carts. Similarly, INCOSPAR had to set up their control room in the room
of a bishop at a church in some village in the middle of nowhere. There have also
been cases where a toilet in Bengaluru, was repurposed to be a satellite data
receiving centre. Due to the lack of resources, they had to think of alternative
options a lot. But India's space journey had begun almost immediately. In
November 1963, only a year after INCOSPAR had been established, India
launched its first rocket. This was a sounding rocket. A rocket that carries
instruments to take various measurements. It was launched to study the
electrons in Earth's atmosphere. Back then it was supplied by NASA. After its

3. successful launch, the Indian scientists got experience and learned from NASA,
And then we made our own sounding rocket. It was named Rohini 75. It was
successfully launched on 20th November 1967. Some years later, on 15th August
1969, in India's 22nd year of Independence, INCOSPAR was renamed ISRO.
Because by then, it wasn't merely a committee, it had become an organisation.
An organisation with the aim of using space technology for the development of
the country. Once again, Dr Sarabhai was made the Chairman of this
organisation.
Under the leadership of Dr Sarabhai, ISRO's scientists worked diligently in the
field of space technology. In 1975, India launched its first artificial satellite. The
Aryabhata. Unfortunately, Dr Sarabhai wasn't alive to see this achievement. He
passed away in 1971, due to cardiac arrest. After him, the next Chairman of ISRO
was Dr Satish Dhawan. An extremely talented mathematician and aerospace
scientist. The launch of the first satellite was from the Soviet Union. ISRO took
help from the Soviet Union because of an agreement between the two nations.
In the next decade, the 1980s, new records were set and broken. India
successfully created their own satellite launch vehicle. So the reliance on other
countries for launching satellites ended. The first Satellite Launch Vehicle, SLV-3
was used to send the satellite Rohini to the orbit. After this, ISRO worked on
several other satellite launch vehicles. Such as Augmented Satellite Launch
Vehicle (ASLV), or the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), which are used to send the satellites to geo-
stationary objects. In 1983, once again, ISRO took NASA's help to launch the
satellite INSAT. INSAT: Indian National Satellite System. Basically a series of
communication satellites stationed in Earth's orbit which are used to
communicate through radiowaves. With this, television broadcasting was
possible in India. Weather forecasting was possible. In case of a natural disaster
like a tornado or cyclone, a prior warning was made possible by these satellites.
It was interesting to see that on one hand, America and the Soviet Union were
engaged in fierce competition with each other, India had taken help from both
space agencies from time to time. In April 1984, another record was broken,

4. Rakesh Sharma, a former pilot of the Indian Air Force, became the first and only
Indian citizen to travel to space.
Actually, he was onboard the Soviet Union rocket Soyuz 11, and remained in
space for 8 days, as a part of Soviet Interkosmos Programme. Over the next 2
decades, the ISRO progressed exponentially. In 2008, the Chandrayan 1 mission
was successful. India's first mission to go to the moon. This was the turning point
for the organisation. The world now knew ISRO's potential. By 2013, India's first
Mars orbiter mission was launched And India became the first country to enter
Mars' orbit in the first attempt. As a space agency, ISRO was counted among the
top space agencies of the world. India became to be known as a space
superpower. This Mars mission was historic for several reasons. India was the
fourth country to go to Mars' orbit. And we did this at the cost of only $74
million. This is only a fraction of the cost incurred by others. The Hollywood film
Martian had more budget than India's mission. $108 million was spent on it.
Versus the $74 million we spent. But many people have one question.
How do ISRO's achievements compare with NASA's? Can ISRO compete with
NASA? Friends, NASA was founded only four years before ISRO. In 1958. But
since then, NASA has undertaken more than 1,000 unmanned missions and 245
missions to the outer space. The biggest of it all was in 1969, when humans were
sent to the moon for the first time. Neil Armstrong became the first man to step
on the Moon. During the Apollo 11 mission. Today, America is the only country
that had landed humans on the moon. Apart from this, their Keplar Space
Telescope has discovered thousands of exoplanets. Planets that are outside our
solar system. It was with NASA's help that the International Space Station was
placed in lower Earth orbit. A spacecraft in which humans can live, work, and run
experiments on space. NASA has even sent rovers to Mar's surface. In 2015,
Curiosity rover landed on Mars' surface and found the first evidence of water.
Proof that water exists in liquid state on Mars. So why is NASA so ahead of the
other space agencies? Friends, the biggest reason for this is the one I talked
about at the beginning of this article. NASA was established in 1958, in response

5. of the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union surpassed them, by launching their
first satellite, America didn't want to lag behind. They wanted to have their own
space program in a civilian capacity. Due to the fierce competition between the
two, we witnessed so much innovation. Then the second reason is NASA's goals.
If you look at NASA's goals in detail, you'd see that their primary goal is to
increase the knowledge of mankind. And to increase human presence in space.
Compare this to ISRO, ISRO wasn't built to compete with other countries. India
wasn't in a war with another country where India was pressured into developing
ISRO, ISRO aims to develop space technologies for the socio-economic benefit of
the country. Prima facie it'll look like their missions are similar. But NASA was
always more interested in conducting research, exploration and conducting
technological experiments. They carried out the Apollo 11 mission because they
wanted to surpass Russia. They wanted to be the first country to send someone
to the moon. They wanted to show off that they were the bigger superpower.
Because of the race. On the other hand, ISRO focused on things that helped the
nation. Such as creating a satellite network to allow television broadcasting,
weather forecasting, etc. Though the later missions of ISRO such as the
Chandrayan and Mangalyan, fit more into the category of exploration, but at the
beginning, ISRO wasn't very focused on that.
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Then comes the third reason, the budget of both agencies. the annual budget of
NASA is around $24 billion. Compare this with the Department of Space budget
in India which gets $1.7 billion in a year. And ISRO is just one organisation under
the DoS. So ISRO gets only a portion of the $1.7 million. Approximately, NASA's
budget is 20 times that of ISRO. Obviously, NASA has more money to spend on
ambitious and experimental missions. They use it to send rovers on Mars,
satellites to Jupiter's and Saturn's moons, and even send spacecraft to asteroids.
Whereas ISRO spends most of their budget in developing space technologies.
Construction of space vehicles, and the ground stations, and only the necessary

6. space missions are conducted. They do not have the budget to undertake more
missions. So it is natural that after these many years, NASA's infrastructure is
much better than ISRO's. But there are things where ISRO has surpassed NASA.
Such as efficiency, resourcefulness and cost-effectiveness. For example, in 2005
NASA launched a solar mission Stereo, that costed $550 million back then. Now
ISRO plans to launch a similar solar mission Aditya L1, at the cost of $55 million
only. In today's economy. So you can imagine the ability to carry out the same
mission at 1/10th the cost. Similarly, NASA has planned to conduct 2 missions on
the planet Venus in the near future. One would be the Veritas mission to be
launched in 2028, And the other would be the Da Vinci mission to be launched in
2029. The total combined cost is estimated at $1 billion. Whereas, ISRO has
planned its Shukrayaan-1 mission to go to Venus. It is planned to be launched in
2025, before NASA's attempt. And the cost is estimated to be somewhere
between $62 million to $125 million. Again, at 1/10th the cost. Obviously, a
major reason for this was the recent Mars mission that was carried out at a
fraction of the cost. In the future, ISRO is planning to undertake 3 very important
missions. All three are being expected to be launched next year in 2023, and the
most important among these, would be the Gaganyaan mission. This would be
the first manned mission to space in India. Till now, ISRO hasn't sent humans to
space. Gaganyaan would be the first mission where this is attempted. ISRO will
send the crew of 3 people on a spacecraft. This spacecraft will orbit Earth for 5-7
days, at the height of around 400 km above the surface. The allocated budget for
this mission is more than ₹90 billion. Almost every component of this mission is
to be developed in India. The Launch Vehicle, spacecraft, life support system,
crew escape system, everything is being developed in India by Indian
organisations. However, an aspect in this mission does need international
collaboration, that is the spacesuits of the astronauts. And the training provided
to the astronauts. This will be done with the help of Russian Space Agency
ROSCOSMOS. Four pilots of the Indian Air Force have already been sent for
training to the Russian Space Agency. Additionally, the team of flight physicians
and communications, are being trained by the French Space Agency, National
Center for Space Studies (CNES).

7. If India is successful in this mission, India will become the fourth country in the
world to send astronauts to the Lower Earth Orbit in its own capacity. Till now,
this has been achieved by only 3 countries. The USA, Russia, and China. And as I
told you, till now, Rakesh Sharma is the only Indian citizen to go to space. A
successful Gaganyaan mission would mean that this would change. Here, you
might wonder about Kalpana Chawla. Though Kalpana Chawla was born in Carnal,
India she was a person of Indian origin, but not an Indian citizen when she went
into space, So technically, she is considered American. There are three phases of
the Gaganyaan mission. The phases Gaganyaan I and Gaganyaan II, will be
unmanned missions. The spacecraft will be sent to space without humans. For a
safety test. We'll witness these test flights from next year. After which the final
manned mission wherein humans will go to space will be conducted in 2024.
Apart from this, as I said, Aditya L1 will be another important space mission to be
launched in the first quarter of 2023, This will be the first Indian mission to study
the Sun. The cost allocated to it is ₹3.78 billion. And then comes ISRO's
Chandrayaan-3 misison. It'll be the third mission to the moon. In 2019,
Chandrayaan-2 was sent to the moon. It tried to land, but it's lander, Vikram
Lander, had malfunctioned due to a software glitch. And the Vikram Lander
crashed. Chandrayaan-3 will try to attempt the same thing. It will try to have a
soft-landing on the moon's south pole. Additionally, ISRO has planned more
missions for the future. such as Shukrayaan-1 to go on Venus. It will be done in
2024. And it will be in collaboration with several space agencies. Then they have
planned a Lunar Polar Exploration mission in collaboration with the Japanese
aerospace agency, in which, a lander and rover will be sent to the moon in 2025,
to explore the region of the south pole. Additionally, a Mangalyaan-2 mission is
also being planned. If you talk about the most ambitious plan in the long-term
future, ISRO plans to have an Indian Space Station by 2030. This was announced
by the former ISRO Chief K Shivan in 2019. Here, one thing is for certain, the era
when America and the Soviet Union would race to go to space. The era of fierce
competition is now over. Today, it is not about ISRO versus NASA or ISRO versus
some other space agency, Rather, it is the time for ISRO plus NASA and other

8. space agencies. Today, most countries do not want to fight with others, they
don't want to compete, instead, they want to collaborate. Because only when
they work together and share technologies with each other, ideas to increase
efficiency and save costs, by working together, we will see progress for humanity
in the truest sense. Not for a country or a few of them, But for the entire
humanity. We hope that the Indian ecosystem which supported ISRO's growth
and empowered scientists to get ISRO to the position it holds today, we continue
supporting ISRO similarly in the future as well. The story that I told you at the
beginning of the video, has a happy ending. Though America and the Soviet
Union had begun by competeing with each other, But by July 1975, America and
the USSR, had begun collaborating with each other for space. Friends, 1975 is
said to be the year when this Space Race came to an end. These countries
stopped running against each other, And ran together
Thank you very much.
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