The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is India's national space agency. It was established in 1969 to advance space technology and its applications. ISRO has built and launched India's first satellite and developed launch vehicles like PSLV and GSLV to launch satellites into different orbits. Some key ISRO missions include Chandrayaan-1 to the moon in 2008, and the Mars Orbiter Mission in 2013 which made India the first nation to succeed on its maiden attempt to Mars. Future plans include human spaceflight and further planetary exploration.

1. IndianSpaceResearch Organisation
From Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia
Coordinates:12°58′0″N77°34′0″E
Indian Space Research Organisation
भारतीय अंतररक्ष अनुसंधान संगठन
Acronym ISRO
Owner India
Established 15 August 1969
(superseded INCOSPAR)
Headquarters Bangalore, India
Primary
spaceport
Satish Dhawan Space
Centre,Sriharikota
Motto SpaceTechnology in the Service
of Human Kind
Administrator Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Chairman
Budget
6792 crore (US$1.1 billion)(2013–

2. 14)[1][2]
Website www.isro.gov.in
The Indian Space Research
Organisation(ISRO, /ˈɪsroʊ/; Hindi: भारतीय अंतररक्ष अनुसंधान
संगठन Bhāratīya Antarikṣha Anusandhān Sangaṭhan) is the
primary space agency of India. ISRO is among the largest government
space agencies in the world.[citation needed]
Its primary objective is to
advance space technologyand use its applications for national benefit.[3]
Established in 1969,ISRO superseded the erstwhile Indian National
Committee forSpace Research(INCOSPAR),thus institutionalizing
space activities in India.[4]
ISRO built India's first satellite, Aryabhata, which was launched by
the Soviet Union on 19 April in 1975.In 1980, Rohini became the first
satellite to be placed in orbit by an Indian-made launch vehicle, SLV-3.
ISRO subsequentlydevelopedtwo other rockets: thePolar Satellite
Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for launching satellites into polar orbits and
the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) forplacing
satellites into geostationary orbits. These rockets have launched
numerous communications satellites and earth observation satellites.
Satellite navigation systems like GAGANand IRNSS have been
deployed.In January 2014,ISRO successfullyused an indigenous
cryogenic engine in a GSLV-D5 launch of the GSAT-14.[5][6]
On 22 October2008,ISRO sent its first mission to
the Moon, Chandrayaan-1. On 5 November2013,ISRO launched
its Mars Orbiter Mission, which successfullyentered the Mars orbit on 24
September2014,making India the first nation to succeed onits maiden
attempt, and ISRO the first Asian space agency to reach Mars
orbit.[7]
Future plans include developmentof GSLV Mk III (for launch of
heavier satellites), developmentof a reusable launch vehicle, human
spaceflight,further lunar exploration, interplanetary probes, a satellite to
study the Sun, etc.[8]
ISRO has conducted a variety of operations for both Indian and foreign
clients. It has several field installations as assets,and co-operates with
the international community as a part of several bilateral and multilateral
agreements.Several foreignsatellites have been launched by ISRO's
launch vehicles.[9]
Formativeyears[edit]

3. Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India's Space Programme.
Modern space researchin India is most visibly traced to the 1920s,
when the scientist S. K. Mitra conducted a series of experiments leading
to the sounding of the ionosphere by application of ground based radio
methods in Calcutta.[10]
Later, Indian scientists like C.V.
Ramanand Meghnad Saha contributed to scientific principles applicable
in space sciences.[10]
However, it was the period after 1945 which saw
important developments being made in coordinated space research in
India.[10]
Organised space research in India was spearheaded by two
scientists:Vikram Sarabhai—founder of the Physical Research
Laboratory at Ahmedabad—and Homi Bhabha, who established theTata
Institute of Fundamental Research in 1945.[10]
Initial experiments in
space sciences included the study of cosmic radiation, high altitude and
airborne testing of instruments, deep underground experimentation at
the Kolar mines—one of the deepestmining sites in the world – and
studies of the upper atmosphere.[11]
Studies were carried out at research
laboratories, universities, and independentlocations.[11][12]
In 1950,the Department of Atomic Energy was founded with Homi
Bhabha as its secretary.[12]
The Department provided funding for space
research throughout India.[13]
During this time, tests continued on
aspects of meteorologyand the Earth's magnetic field, a topic which was
being studied in India since the establishmentof the observatory
at Colaba in 1823.In 1954,the Uttar Pradesh state observatorywas
established at the foothills of the Himalayas.[12]
The Rangpur
Observatory was set up in 1957 at Osmania
University, Hyderabad.[12]
Both these facilities enjoyed the technical
supportand scientific cooperationof the United States of
America.[12]
Space research was further encouraged by the technically

4. inclined Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru.[13]
In 1957,the Soviet
Union successfullylaunchedSputnik and opened up possibilities forthe
rest of the world to conducta space launch.[13]
The Indian NationalCommittee for Space Research INCOSPARwas
set up in 1962 by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the 1st Prime Minister of
the Indian Government [14]
under Dr. Vikram Sarabhai as its chairman to
formulate the Indian Space Programme.INCOSPAR eventually grew
into ISRO in 1969.[14]
As a mark of respect,ISRO placed the Indian National Flag on
the moon's surface on Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's birthday(November 14)
in the year 2008.The Indian flag was painted on the sides of Moon
ImpactProbe (MIP), one of the 11 payloads of Chandrayaan-1
spacecraft,that successfullyhit the lunar surface at 20:31 hrs (8:31 pm)
IST.It was the first Indian built objectto reach the surface of the
moon.[15]
Goals and objectives[edit]
The prime objective of Indian space research organisation (ISRO)is to
develop space technologyand its application to various national
tasks.[3]
The Indian space programme was driven by the vision of Dr
Vikram Sarabhai, considered the father of Indian Space
Programme.[16]
As he said in 1969:Both China and India are great
countries,
“ There are some who question the relevance of space activities in a
developing nation. To us, there is no ambiguityof purpose. We do not
have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations
in the exploration of the Moon or the planets or manned space-flight.
But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningfulrole
nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second to none
in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man
and society.[3] ”
As the formerIndian President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam said:
“ Manyindividualswith myopic vision questioned the relevance of space
activities in a newly independentnation, which wasfinding it difficult to
feed its population. Theirvision was clear if Indianswere to play
meaningfulrole in the community of nations, they must be second to
none in the application of advanced technologies to their real-life
problems. They had no intention of using it as a meansof displaying our
might.[17] ”

5. India's economic progress has made its space programme more visible
and active as the country aims for greater self-reliance in space
technology.[18]
Hennock etc. hold that India also connects space
exploration to national prestige,further stating: "This year India has
launched 11 satellites, including nine from other countries—and it
became the first nation to launch 10 satellites on one rocket."[18]
ISRO
has successfullyput into operation two major satellite systems namely
Indian National Satellites (INSAT)for communication services and
Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites for management of natural
resources.ISRO has also developedthe PSLV forlaunching IRS type of
satellites and GSLV for launching INSAT type of satellites.
On July 2012,the formerPresident, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam said that
research was being done by ISRO and DRDO for developing cost
reduction technologies foraccess to space.[19]
Launch vehicle fleet[edit]
Comparisonof Indian carrier rockets.Left to
right:SLV, ASLV,PSLV,GSLV, GSLV Mk.III.
During the 1960s and 1970s,India initiated its own launch vehicle
programme owing to geopoliticaland economic considerations.In the
1960s–1970s,the country successfullydevelopeda sounding rockets
programme,and by the 1980s,researchhad yielded the Satellite
Launch Vehicle-3 and the more advanced Augmented Satellite Launch
Vehicle (ASLV), complete with operational supporting
infrastructure.[20]
ISRO further applied its energies to the advancement of
launch vehicle technologyresulting in the creation of PSLV and GSLV
technologies.
Satellite LaunchVehicle (SLV)[edit]
Main article: SatelliteLaunch Vehicle

6. Status:Decommissioned
The Satellite Launch Vehicle, usually known by
its abbreviation SLV or SLV-3 was a 4-stage
solid-propellant light launcher. It was intended to
reach a height of 500 km and carry a payload of
40 kg.[21]
Its first launch took place in 1979 with
2 more in each subsequent year, and the final
launch in 1983.Only two of its four test flights
were successful.[22]
Augmented Satellite LaunchVehicle
(ASLV)[edit]
Main article: ASLV
Status:Decommissioned
The Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle,
usually known by its abbreviation ASLV was
a 5-stage solid propellant rocket with the
capability of placing a 150 kg satellite
into LEO. This projectwas started by the
ISRO during the early 1980s to develop
technologies needed fora payload to be
placed into a geostationary orbit. Its design
was based on Satellite Launch
Vehicle.[23]
The first launch test was held in
1987,and after that 3 others followed in
1988,1992 and 1994,out of which only 2
were successful,before it was
decommissioned.[22]
Polar Satellite LaunchVehicle (PSLV)[edit]

7. PSLV-C8 (CA Variant) carrying the AGILE
x-ray and γ-ray astronomical satellite of
the Italian Space Agencylifting off from
the SDSC,Sriharikota.
Main article: PSLV
Status:Active
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle,
usually known by its abbreviation PSLV,
is an expendable launch
system developed to allow India to launch
its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites
into Sun synchronous orbits, a service
that was, until the advent of the PSLV,
commerciallyviable only from
Russia.[citation needed]
PSLV can also launch
small satellites into geostationary transfer
orbit (GTO). The reliability and versatility
of the PSLV is proven by the fact that it
has launched 70 satellites / spacecraft(
30 Indian and 40 Foreign Satellites) into a
variety of orbits so far.[24][25]
The maximum
number of satellites launched by the
PSLV in a single launch is 10, in the
PSLV-C9 launch on 28 April 2008 (690 kg
CARTOSAT-2A,83 kg Indian Mini

8. Satellite, and 8 nano-satellites, launched
by PSLV's "core-alone"version).[26][27][28]
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch
Vehicle (GSLV)[edit]
GSLV-D5 lifts off carrying GSAT-14
satellite.
Main article: GSLV
Status:Active
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch
Vehicle, usually known by its
abbreviation GSLV,is an expendable
launch system developed to enable
India to launch its INSAT-type
satellites into geostationary orbit and
to make India less dependenton
foreignrockets. At present,it is ISRO's
heaviest satellite launch vehicle and is
capable of putting a total payload of up
to 5 tons to Low Earth Orbit. The
vehicle is built by India with the
cryogenic engine purchased from
Russia while the ISRO develops its
own engine programme.
In a setback for ISRO,the attempt to
launch the GSLV, GSLV-F07 carrying
GSAT-5P,failed on 25 December
2010.The initial evaluation implies that

9. loss of control for the strap-on
boosters caused the rocket to veer
from its intended flight path, forcing a
programmed detonation. Sixty-four
seconds into the first stage of flight,
the rocket began to break up due to
the acute angle of attack. The body
housing the 3rd stage, the cryogenic
stage, incurred structural damage,
forcing the range safety team to initiate
a programmed detonationof the
rocket.[29]
On 5 January 2014, GSLV-D5
successfullylaunched GSAT-14 into
intended orbit. This also marked first
successfulflight using indigenous
cryogenic engine, making India sixth
country in the world to have this
technology.[5][6]
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch
Vehicle Mark-III(GSLV III)[edit]
Main article: GSLV III
Status:Active
The Geosynchronous Satellite
Launch Vehicle Mark-III is a launch
vehicle currently under
developmentby the Indian Space
ResearchOrganisation. It is
intended to launch heavy satellites
into geostationary orbit, and will
allow India to become less
dependenton foreign rockets for
heavy lifting. The rocket, though the
technologicalsuccessorto
the GSLV,however is not derived
from its predecessor.[30]
A GSLV III is planned to launch on
a suborbital test flight in the third
quarter of 2014/15;This suborbital
test flight will demonstrate the
performance of the GSLV Mk.3 in

10. the atmosphere.This launch has
been delayed from May, June, July
and August of 2014.[31]
Earth observationand
communicationsatellites[edit]
INSAT-1B.
India's first satellite, the Aryabhata,
was launched by the Soviet
Union on 19 April 1975
from Kapustin Yar using a Cosmos-
3M launch vehicle. This was
followed by the Rohini series of
experimental satellites which were
built and launched indigenously. At
present, ISRO operates a large
number of earth observation
satellites.
The INSAT series[edit]
Main article: Indian National
Satellite System
INSAT (Indian National Satellite
System) is a series of multipurpose
geostationary satellites launched by
ISRO to satisfy the
telecommunications,broadcasting,
meteorologyand search-and-
rescue needs of India.
Commissioned in 1983,INSAT is
the largest domestic
communication system in the Asia-

11. Pacific Region. It is a joint venture
of the Department of Space,
Department of
Telecommunications, India
MeteorologicalDepartment, All
India Radio and Doordarshan. The
overall coordination and
management of INSAT system
rests with the Secretary-level
INSAT Coordination Committee.
The IRS series[edit]
Main article: Indian Remote
Sensing satellite
Indian Remote Sensing satellites
(IRS) are a series of earth
observation satellites, built,
launched and maintained by ISRO.
The IRS series provides remote
sensing services to the country.
The Indian Remote Sensing
Satellite system is the largest
constellation of remote sensing
satellites for civilian use in
operation today in the world. All the
satellites are placed in polar Sun-
synchronous orbit and provide data
in a variety of spatial, spectraland
temporal resolutions to enable
several programmes to be
undertaken relevant to national
development.The initial versions
are composed ofthe 1 (A,B, C, D)
nomenclature. The later versions
are named based on their area of
application including OceanSat,
CartoSat, Resource Sat.
Radar Imaging Satellites[edit]
ISRO currently operates two Radar
Imaging Satellites. RISAT-1 was
launched from Sriharikota
Spaceporton 26 April 2012 on

12. board a PSLV.RISAT-1 carries a C-
band Synthetic Aperture Radar
(SAR) payload, operating in a multi-
polarisation and multi-resolution
mode and can provide images with
coarse,fine and high spatial
resolutions.[32]
India also
operates RISAT-2 which was
launched in 2009 and acquired
from Israelat a cost$110 million.[32]
Other satellites[edit]
ISRO has also launched a set of
experimental geostationary
satellites known as
the GSAT series. Kalpana-1,
ISRO's firstdedicated
meteorologicalsatellite,[33]
was
launched by the Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle on 12 September
2002.[34]
The satellite was originally
known as MetSat-1.[35]
In February
2003 it was renamed to Kalpana-1
by the Indian Prime Minister Atal
Bihari Vajpayee in memory
of Kalpana Chawla – a NASA
astronaut of Indian origin who
perished in Space Shuttle
Columbia.
SARAL satellite model.
ISRO has also successfully
launched the Indo-French
satellite SARAL on 25 February
2013,12:31 UTC. SARAL (or
"Satellite with ARgos and ALtiKa")

13. is a cooperative altimetry
technology mission.It is being used
for monitoring the oceans surface
and sea-levels. AltiKa will measure
ocean surface topographywith an
accuracy of 8 mm, against 2.5 cm
on average using current-
generation altimeters, and with a
spatial resolution of 2 km.[36][37]
In June 2014,ISRO launched
French Earth Observation Satellite
SPOT-7 (mass 714 kg) along
with Singapore's first nano satellite
VELOX-I,Canada's satellite CAN-
X5, Germany's satellite AISAT,via
the PSLV-C23 launch veicle. It was
ISRO's 4th commerciallaunch.[38][39]
Satellitenavigation[edit]
GAGAN[edit]
Main article: GPS-aidedgeo-
augmented navigation
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has
decided to implementan
indigenous Satellite-Based
Regional GPS Augmentation
System also known as Space-
Based Augmentation System
(SBAS)as part of the Satellite-
Based Communications, Navigation
and Surveillance (CNS)/Air Traffic
Management (ATM) plan for civil
aviation. The Indian SBAS system
has been given an acronym
GAGAN – GPS Aided GEO
Augmented Navigation. A national
plan for satellite navigation
including implementation of
TechnologyDemonstrationSystem
(TDS) over the Indian air space as
a proof of concepthas been
prepared jointly by Airports

14. Authority of India (AAI) and ISRO.
TDS was successfullycompleted
during 2007 by installing eight
Indian ReferenceStations
(INRESs)at eight Indian airports
and linked to the Master Control
Centre (MCC) located
near Bengaluru.
The first GAGANnavigation
payload has been fabricated and it
was proposedto be flown on
GSAT-4 during Apr 2010.However,
GSAT-4 was not placed in orbit as
GSLV-D3 could not complete the
mission. Two more GAGAN
payloads will be subsequently
flown, one each on two
geostationary satellites, GSAT-8
and GSAT-10.On 12 May 2012,
ISRO announced the successful
testing of its indigenous cryogenic
engine for 200 secondsforits
forthcoming GSLV-D5 flight.[40]
The IRNSS series[edit]
Main article: IRNSS
IRNSS is an independentregional
navigation satellite system being
developedby India. It is designed
to provide accurate position
information service to users in India
as well as the region extending up
to 1500 km from its boundary,
which is its primary service area.
IRNSS will provide two types of
services,namely, Standard
Positioning Service (SPS) and
Restricted Service (RS) and is
expected to provide a position
accuracy of better than 20 m in the
primary service area.[41]
It is an
autonomous regional satellite
navigation system being developed

15. by Indian Space Research
Organisation which would be under
total control of Indian government.
The requirement of such a
navigation system is driven by the
fact that access to Global
Navigation Satellite Systems
like GPS are not guaranteed in
hostile situations. ISRO plans to
launch the constellation of satellites
between 2012 and 2014.
ISRO on 1 July 2013,at 23:41Hrs
IST launched from Sriharikota the
First Indian Navigation Satellite the
IRNSS-1A.The IRNSS-1A was
launched aboard PSLV-C22.The
constellation would be comprising 7
satellites of I-1K bus each weighing
around 1450 Kilograms,with three
satellites in the Geostationary Earth
Orbit (GEO) and 4
inGeosynchronous Earth
Orbit(GSO). The constellation
would be completedaround
2015.[42]
On 4 April 2014,at 17:14 Hrs IST
ISRO has launched IRNSS-1B from
Sriharikota, its second of seven
IRNSS series.After 19 mins of
launch PSLV-C24 was successfully
injected into its orbit.[43]
Humanspaceflight
programme[edit]

16. Indian Navy Frogmenrecovering
theSRE-1
Main article: Indian human
spaceflightprogramme
The Indian Space Research
Organisation has proposeda
budgetof 124
billion (US$2.0 billion) for its human
spaceflight
programme.[44]
According to the
Space Commissionwhich
recommended the budget,an
unmanned flight will be launched
after 7 years of final
approval.[45]
and a manned mission
will be launch after 7 years of
funding.[46][47]
If realised in the
stated time-frame, India will
become the fourth nation, after
the USSR, US and China, to
successfullycarry out manned
missions indigenously.
Technology demonstration[edit]
The Space Capsule Recovery
Experiment (SCRE or more
commonlySRE or SRE-1)[48]
is an
experimental Indian spacecraft

17. which was launched using
the PSLV C7 rocket, along with
three other satellites. It remained in
orbit for 12 days before re-entering
the Earth's atmosphere and
splashing down into the Bay of
Bengal.[49]
The SRE-1 was
designed to demonstrate the
capability to recoveran orbiting
space capsule, and the technology
for performing experiments in the
microgravity conditions of an
orbiting platform. It was also
intended to test thermal protection,
navigation, guidance, control,
decelerationand flotation systems,
as well as study hypersonic aero-
thermodynamics,management of
communication blackouts, and
recovery operations.ISRO also
plans to launch SRE-2 and SRE-3
in the near future to test advanced
re-entry technologyfor future
manned missions.[50]
Astronauttraining and other
facilities[edit]
ISRO will set up an astronaut
training centre in Bengaluru to
prepare personnelfor flights on
board the crewed vehicle. The
centre will use simulation facilities
to train the selected astronauts in
rescue and recoveryoperations
and survival in zero gravity, and will
undertake studies of the radiation
environment of space.ISRO will
build centrifuges to prepare
astronauts for the acceleration
phase of the mission. It also plans
to build a new Launch pad to meet
the target of launching a manned
space mission in 7 years of funding

18. clearance. This would be the third
launchpad at the Satish Dhawan
Space Centre, Sriharikota.
Developmentof crew vehicle[edit]
GSLV Mk III payload fairing
assemblymockup
Main article: ISRO Orbital Vehicle
The Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO)is working
towards a maiden manned Indian
space mission vehicle that can
carry three astronauts for seven
days in a near earth orbit. The
Indian manned spacecraft
temporarily named as Orbital
Vehicle intends to be the basis of
indigenous Indian human
spaceflightprogramme.The
capsule will be designed to carry
three people,and a planned
upgraded version will be equipped
with a rendezvous and docking
capability. In its maiden manned
mission, ISRO'slargely
autonomous 3-ton capsule will orbit
the Earth at 400 km in altitude for
up to seven days with a two-person

19. crew on board. The crew vehicle
would launch atop of ISRO's GSLV
Mk II, currently under development.
The GSLV Mk II features an
indigenously developedcryogenic
upper-stage engine.[51]
The first test
of the cryogenic engine, held on 15
April 2010,failed as the cryogenic
phase did not perform as expected
and rocket deviated from the
planned trajectory.[52]
However the
second test of the indigenous
cryogenic engine was successful
on 5 January 2014.[53]
Planetarysciencesand
astronomy[edit]
India's space era dawned when the
first two-stage sounding rocket was
launched from Thumba in 1963.
Even before this, noteworthy
contributions were made by the
Indian scientists in the following
areas of space science
research:[citation needed]
 Cosmic rays and high energy
astronomy using both ground
based as well as balloon borne
experiments/studiessuch as
neutron/meson monitors, Geiger
Muller particle
detectors/counters etc.
 Ionospheric researchusing
ground based radio propagation
techniques such as ionosonde,
VLF/HF/VHF radio probing,a
chain of magnetometerstations
etc.
 Upper atmospheric research
using ground based optical
techniques such as Dobson
spectrometers formeasurement

20. of total ozone content, air glow
photometers etc.
 Indian astronomers have been
carrying out major investigations
using a number of ground based
optical and radio telescopes with
varying sophistication.
With the advent of the Indian space
programme,emphasis was laid on
indigenous, self-reliant and state-of-
the-art developmentof technology
for immediate practical applications
in the fields of space science
research activities in the country.
There is a national balloon
launching facility
at Hyderabad jointly supported
by TIFR and ISRO.This facility has
been extensively used for carrying
out research in high energy (i.e., X-
and gamma ray) astronomy, IR
astronomy, middle atmospheric
trace constituents including CFCs &
aerosols, ionisation, electric
conductivity and electric fields.[citation
needed]
The flux of secondary particles
and X-ray and gamma-rays of
atmospheric origin produced by the
interaction of the cosmic rays is
very low. This low background, in
the presence of which one has to
detectthe feeble signal from
cosmic sources is a major
advantage in conducting hard X-ray
observations from India. The
second advantage is that many
bright sources like Cyg X-1, Crab
Nebula, Scorpius X-1 and Galactic
Centre sources are observable
from Hyderabad due to their
favourable declination. With these

21. considerations,an X-ray
astronomy group was formed at
TIFR in 1967 and developmentof
an instrument with an orientable X-
ray telescopeforhard X-ray
observations was undertaken. The
first balloon flight with the new
instrument was made on 28 April
1968 in which observations of
Scorpius X-1 were successfully
carried out. In a successionof
balloon flights made with this
instrument between 1968 and 1974
a number of binary X-ray sources
including Scorpius X-1, Cyg X-
1, Her X-1 etc. and the diffuse
cosmic X-ray background were
studied. Many new and
astrophysically important results
were obtained from these
observations.[54]
One of most important
achievements of ISRO in this field
was the discoveryof three species
of bacteria in the upper
stratosphere at an altitude of
between 20–40 km. The bacteria,
highly resistant to ultra-violet
radiation, are not found elsewhere
on Earth, leading to speculation on
whether they are extraterrestrial in
origin. These three bacteria can be
considered to be extremophiles.
Until then, the upper stratosphere
was believed to be inhospitable
because of the high doses of ultra-
violet radiation. The bacteria were
named as Bacillus isronensis in
recognition of ISRO's contribution in
the balloon experiments,which led
to its discovery,Bacillus aryabhata
after India's celebrated ancient

22. astronomerAryabhata and
Janibacter Hoylei after the
distinguished astrophysicist Fred
Hoyle.[55]
Extraterrestrialexploration[edit]
ISRO had a mostly successful
Moon missionfrom 2008 to 2009.A
missionto Mars started in 2013 and
will last till 2015.
First mission to the Moon:
Chandrayaan-1[edit]
Model of the Chandrayaan-
1spacecraft.
Chandrayaan-1 was India's first
missionto the Moon. The
unmanned lunar exploration
missionincluded a lunar orbiter and
an impactor called the Moon Impact
Probe.ISRO launched the
spacecraftusing a modified version
of the PSLV on 22 October2008
from Satish Dhawan Space Centre,
Sriharikota. The vehicle was
successfullyinserted into lunar orbit
on 8 November2008.It carried
high-resolution remote sensing
equipmentfor visible, near infrared,
and soft and hard X-ray
frequencies.During its 312 days
operational period (2 years
planned), it surveyed the lunar
surface to produce a complete map
of its chemical characteristics and

23. 3-dimensionaltopography. The
polar regions were of special
interest, as they possibly
had ice deposits.The spacecraft
carried a total of 11 instruments: 5
Indian and 6 from foreigninstitutes
and space agencies
(including NASA, ESA, Bulgarian
Academyof Sciences,Brown
University and other European and
North American
institutes/companies)which were
carried free of cost. Chandrayaan-1
became the first lunar missionto
discoverexistence of water on the
Moon.[56]
Mars OrbiterMission
(Mangalayaan)[edit]
Artist's rendering of the Mars
Orbiter Mission spacecraft,
with Mars in the background.
The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM),
informally known as 'Mangalayaan'
was launched into Earth orbit on 5
November2013 by the Indian
Space ResearchOrganisation
(ISRO)and has entered Mars orbit
on 24 September2014.[57]
India is
the first country to enter Mars orbit
in first attempt. It was completed at
a record costof $74 million.[58]
MOM was successfullyplaced into
Mars orbit on September24, 2014
at 8:23 AM IST.It has a highly
elliptical orbit with a periapsis of

24. 421.7 km (262.0 mi) and
an apoapsis of 76,993.6 km
(47,841.6 mi).
The spacecrafthad a launch mass
of 1,337 kg (2,948 lb), with 15 kg
(33 lb) of five scientific instruments
as payload.
Facilities[edit]
ISRO's headquarters is located at
Antariksh Bhavan in Bengaluru.
Researchfacilities[edit]
Facility Location Description
Vikram
Sarabhai
Space
Centre
Thiruvananthapuram
The largest ISRO base is
also the main technical
centre and the venue of
development of the SLV-
3, ASLV,
and PSLVseries.[59] The
base supports
India's Thumba Equatorial
Rocket Launching
Station and the Rohini
Sounding
Rocketprogramme.[59] This
facility is also developing
the GSLV series.[59]
Liquid
Propulsi
on
Systems
Centre
Thiruvananthapuram an
dBengaluru
The LPSC handles design,
development, testing and
implementation of liquid
propulsion control
packages, liquid stages and
liquid engines for launch
vehicles and
satellites.[59] The testing of
these systems is largely
conducted

25. atIPRC at Mahendragiri.[59]
The LPSC, Begaluru also
produces precision
transducers.[60]
Physical
Researc
h
Laborato
ry
Ahmedabad
Solar planetary physics,
infrared astronomy, geo-
cosmo physics, plasma
physics, astrophysics, arch
aeology, andhydrology are
some of the branches of
study at this
institute.[59] An observatory
at Udaipur also falls under
the control of this
institution.[59]
Semi-
Conduct
or
Laborato
ry
Chandigarh
Research & Development
in the field of
semiconductor technology,
micro-electromechanical
systems and process
technologies relating to
semiconductor processing.
National
Atmosp
heric
Researc
h
Laborato
ry
Chittoor
The NARL carries out
fundamental and applied
research in Atmospheric
and SpaceSciences.
Space
Applicat
ions
Centre
Ahmedabad
The SAC deals with the
various aspects ofpractical
use of space
technology.[59] Among the
fields of research at the
SAC are geodesy, satellite

26. based
telecommunications, surve
ying, remote
sensing, meteorology,
environment monitoring
etc.[59] The SEC
additionally operates the
Delhi Earth Station.[61]
North-
Eastern
Space
Applicat
ions
Centre
Shillong
Providing developmental
supportto North East by
undertaking specific
application projects using
remote sensing, GIS,
satellite communication
and conducting space
science research.
Testfacilities[edit]
Facility Location Description
ISRO
Propulsion
Complex
Mahendragiri
Formerly called LPSC-
Mahendragiri, was declared a
separate centre. It handles testing
and assembly of liquid propulsion
control packages, liquid engines
and stages for launch vehicles and
satellites.[59]
Constructionand launch
facilities[edit]
Facility Location Description
ISRO
Satellite
Centre
Bengaluru
The venue of eight successful
spacecraftprojects is also one of
the main satellite technology
bases of ISRO. The facility
serves as a venue for

27. implementing indigenous
spacecraftin India.[59] The
satellites Ayrabhata, Bhaskara,A
PPLE, and IRS-1Awere
constructed at this site, and the
IRS and INSAT satellite series
are presently under development
here.[60]
Laborato
ry for
Electro-
Optics
Systems
Bengaluru
The Unit of ISRO responsible for
the development of altitude
sensors for all satellites. The high
precision optics for all cameras
and payloads in all ISRO
satellites including Chandrayaan-
1 are developed at this laboratory.
Located at Peenya Industrial
Estate, Bangalore.
Satish
Dhawan
Space
Centre
Sriharikota
With multiple sub-sites the
Sriharikota island facility acts as
a launching site for India's
satellites.[59] The Sriharikota
facility is also the main launch
base for India's sounding
rockets.[60] The centre is also
home to India's largest Solid
Propellant Space BoosterPlant
(SPROB)and houses the Static
Test and Evaluation Complex
(STEX).[60]
Thumba
Equatori
al Rocket
Launchin
g Station
Thiruvananthapur
am
TERLS is used to launch
sounding rockets.
Tracking and control
facilities[edit]

28. Facility Location Description
Indian
Deep
Space
Network
(IDSN)
Bengaluru
This network receives,
processes,archives and
distributes the spacecrafthealth
data and payload data in real
time. It can track and monitor
satellites up to very large
distances, even beyond
the Moon.
National
Remote
Sensing
Centre
Hyderabad
The NRSC applies remote
sensing to manage natural
resources and study aerial
surveying.[59] With centres
atBalanagar and Shadnagar it
also has training facilities
at Dehradun in form of
the Indian Institute of Remote
Sensing.[59]
ISRO
Telemetry,
Tracking
and
Command
Network
Bangalore
(headquarters)
and a number of
ground stations
throughout India
and World.[61]
Software development, ground
operations, Tracking Telemetry
and Command (TTC), and
supportis provided by this
institution.[59] ISTRAC has
Tracking stations throughout the
country and all over the world
in Port Louis (Mauritius),
Bearslake
(Russia), Biak (Indonesia) and
Brunei.
Master
Control
Facility
Bhopal; Hassan
Geostationary satellite orbit
raising, payload testing, and in-
orbit operations are performed at
this facility.[62] The MCF has
earth stations and Satellite

29. Control Centre (SCC) for
controlling satellites.[62] A
second MCF-like facility named
'MCF-B' is being constructed at
Bhopal.[62]
Human resource
development[edit]
Facility Location Description
Indian
Institute of
Remote
Sensing (IIRS
)
Dehradun
Indian Institute of Remote
Sensing (IIRS), an
independent unit of Indian
SpaceResearch
Organisation (ISRO),
Department of Space, Govt.
of India is a premier
training and educational
institute set up for
developing trained
professionals (P.G and PhD
level) in the field of
Remote Sensing,
Geoinformatics and GPS
Technology for Natural
Resources, Environmental
and Disaster Management.
IIRS is also executing
many R&D projects on
Remote Sensing and GIS
for societal applications.
Indian
Institute of
SpaceScience
and
Technology
(IIST)
Thiruvananthapur
am
The institute offers
undergraduate and graduate
courses in Aerospace
engineering, Avionics and
Physical Sciences. The
students of the first three
batches of IIST have been
inducted into

30. different ISRO centres as of
September 2012.
Development
and
Educational
Communicati
on Unit
Ahmedabad
The centre works for
education, research, and
training, mainly in
conjunction with
the INSAT programme.[59]
The main activities carried
out at DECU include
GRAMSAT
and EDUSAT projects.[60] T
he Training and
Development
Communication Channel
(TDCC) also falls under the
operational controlof the
DECU.[61]
Commercialwing (Antrix
Corporation)[edit]
Facility Location
Antrix Corporation Bengaluru
The marketing agency under go
services, etc.[62]
Other facilities[edit]
 Balasore RocketLaunching
Station (BRLS) – Odisha
 INSAT Master Control Facility
(IMCF) – Bhopal
 ISRO Inertial Systems Unit
(IISU) – Thiruvananthapuram
 Indian Regional Navigational
Satellite System (IRNSS)
 AerospaceCommand of India
(ACI)

31.  Indian National Committee for
Space Research(INCOSPAR)
 Inter University Centre for
Astronomyand Astrophysics
(IUCAA)
 Indian Department of Space
(IDS)
 Indian Space Science Data
Centre (ISSDC)
 SpacecraftControl Centre
(SCC)
 Regional Remote Sensing
Service Centres (RRSSC)
 Developmentand Educational
Communication Unit (DECU)
Futureprojects[edit]
A modelof the Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle III.

32. A modelof the RLV-TD
ISRO plans to launch a number of
new-generation Earth Observation
Satellites in the near future. It will
also undertake the developmentof
new launch vehicles and
spacecraft.ISRO has stated that it
will send unmanned missions to
Mars and Near-Earth Objects.
ISRO has planned 58 missions
during 2012–17;33 satellites
missions in next two years and 25
launch vehicles missions thereafter,
costing 200
billion (US$3 billion).[63]
ForthcomingSatellites
Satellite
Name
Details
ASTROSAT
ASTROSAT is a first dedicated Indian
Astronomy satellite mission, which will enable
multi-wavelength observations of the celestial
bodies and cosmic sources in X-ray and UV
spectral bands simultaneously. The scientific
payloads cover the Visible (3500–6000 Å…),
UV (1300–3000 Å…), soft and hard X-ray

33. regimes (0.5–8 keV; 3–80 keV). The uniqueness
of ASTROSAT lies in its wide spectral coverage
extending over visible, UV, softand hard X-ray
regions.
GSAT-6 /
INSAT-4E
The primary goal of GSAT-6/INSAT-4E, which
is a Multimedia broadcastsatellite, is to cater to
the consumer requirements of providing
entertainment and information services to
vehicles through Digital Multimedia consoles
and to the Multimedia mobile Phones. The
satellite carries a 5 spotbeam BSS and 5 spot
beam MSS. It will be positioned at 83° East
longitude with a mission life of 12 years.
GSAT-
7/INSAT-4F
It is a multi-band satellite carrying payloads in
UHF, S-band, C-band and Ku band. The satellite
weighs 2330 kg with a payload power of 2000W
and mission life of 9 years.
GSAT-9
GSAT-9 will carry 6 C band and
24 Ku band transponders with India coverage
beam. The satellite is planned to be launched
during 2011–12 with a mission life of 12 years
and positioned at 48° East longitude. This I-
2K satellite has a liftoff mass of 2330 kg and
payload power of 2300 W.
GSAT-11
GSAT-11 is based on I-4K bus which is under
advanced stage of development. The spacecraft
can generate 10–12 KW of power and can
supportpayload power of 8KW. The payload
configuration is on-going. It consists of 16 spot
beams covering entire country including
Andaman & Nicobar islands. The
communication link to the user-end terminals
operate in Ku-band while the communication
link to the hubs operate in Ka-band. The
payload is configured to be operated as a high

34. data throughput satellite, to be realised in orbit
in 2013 time frame.
GSAT-15
GSAT-15 is an Indian communication satellite
similar to GSAT-10 to augment the capacity of
transponders to provided more bandwidth for
Direct-to-Home television and VSAT services.
The satellite will be the 10th one in the series of
GSAT satellites.
GSAT-16
GSAT-16 will be the 11th Indian
communication satellite similar to GSAT-15
meant to increase the number of transponders
that in turn enhance the satellite based
telecommunication, television, VSAT services
in India.
NISAR
Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (Nisar) is a
joint project between NASA and ISRO to co-
develop and launch a dual frequency synthetic
aperture radar satellite to be used for remote
sensing. It is notable for being the first dual
band radar imaging satellite.
Future launch vehicles[edit]
GSLV-MkIII[edit]
Main article: Geosynchronous
Satellite LaunchVehicle Mk III
GSLV-Mk III is envisaged to launch
four tonne satellite into
geosynchronous transfer orbit.
GSLV-Mk III is a three-stage
vehicle with a 110 tonne core liquid
propellant stage (L-110)and a
strap-on stage with two solid
propellant motors, each with 200
tonne propellant (S-200). The upper
stage will be cryogenic with a
propellant loading of 25 tonne (C-

35. 25). GSLV Mk-III will have a lift-off
weight of about 626 tonne and will
be 43.43 m tall. The payload fairing
will have a diameter of 5-metre and
a payload volume of 100 cubic
metre. GSLV Mk III was planned at
the end of August 2014,but it has
been postponeddue to Mars
Orbiter Mission's (MOM) next big
challenge on 24 September
2014.[64]
It will weigh 640 tonnes at
the time of lift-off,which will make it
the heaviest rocket ever to be built
in India.
Reusable Launch Vehicle-
Technology Demonstrator (RLV-
TD)[edit]
As a first step towards realising a
Two Stage To Orbit (TSTO) fully re-
usable launch vehicle, a series of
technology demonstrationmissions
have beenconceived.For this
purpose a Winged Reusable
Launch Vehicle technology
Demonstrator(RLV-TD)has been
configured.The RLV-TD will act as
a flying test bed to evaluate various
technologies viz., hypersonic flight,
autonomous landing, powered
cruise flight and hypersonic flight
using air-breathing propulsion.First
in the series of demonstrationtrials
is the hypersonic flight experiment
(HEX).
Extraterrestrialexploration[edit]
ISRO's missions beyond Earth's
orbit include Chandrayaan-1 (to
the Moon) and Mars Orbiter
Mission (to Mars). ISRO plans to
follow up with Chandrayaan-2 and
missions toVenus and near-Earth

36. objects such
as asteroids and comets.
Chandrayaan-2[edit]
Chandrayaan-2 (Sanskrit: चंद्रयान-२)
will be India missionto the Moon
will include an orbiter and lander-
rover module.Chandrayaan-2 will
be launched on India's
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch
Vehicle (GSLV-MkII)around 2016 -
2017 timeframe.[65]
The science
goals of the missionare to further
improve the understanding of the
origin and evolution of the Moon.
Venus exploration[edit]
ISRO is planning a mission
to Venus, by May 2015 to study its
atmosphere.The probe will reach
Venus by September2015 and
would carry at least five
instruments.[66]
Solar exploration
programme[edit]
Main article: Aditya (spacecraft)
ISRO plans to carry out a mission
to the Sun by the year 2015-16.
The probe is named as Aditya-
1 and will weigh about 400 kg.[67]
It
is the First Indian space based
Solar Coronagraph to study solar
Corona in visible and near IR
bands. Launch of the Aditya
missionwas planned during the
high solar activity period in 2012
but was postponed to 2015–2016
due to the extensive work involved
in the fabrication and other
technical aspects . The main
objectives is to study the Coronal
Mass Ejection(CME) and

37. consequentlythe crucial physical
parameters for space weather such
as the coronal magnetic field
structures, evolution of the coronal
magnetic field etc. This will provide
completelynew information on the
velocity fields and their variability in
the inner corona having an
important bearing on the unsolved
problem of heating of the corona
would be obtained.
Space science missions[edit]
Space Capsule Recovery
ExperimentII: The main objective
of SRE II is to realise a fully
recoverable capsule and provide a
platform to conduct microgravity
experiments on Micro-biology,
Agriculture, PowderMetallurgy, etc.
SRE-2 is proposed to be launched
on board PSLV.
Applications[edit]
Telecommunication[edit]
India uses its satellites
communication network – one of
the largest in the world – for
applications such as land
management, water resources
management, natural disaster
forecasting,radio networking,
weather forecasting,meteorological
imaging and computer
communication.[68]
Business,
administrative services,and
schemes such as the National
Informatics Centre (NICNET) are
direct beneficiaries of applied
satellite technology.[69]
Dinshaw
Mistry, on the subject of practical
applications of the Indian space
programme,writes:

38. "The INSAT-2 satellites also provide
telephone links to remote areas; data
transmission for organisations such as
the National Stock Exchange; mobile satellite
service communications for private operators,
railways, and road transport; and broadcast
satellite services,used by India's state-
owned television agency as well as
commercialtelevision channels.
India's EDUSAT (Educational Satellite),
launched aboard the GSLV in 2004,was
intended for adult literacy and distance
learning applications in rural areas. It
augmented and would eventually replace
such capabilities already provided by INSAT-
3B."
Resourcemanagement[edit]
The IRS satellites have found
applications with the Indian
Natural Resource Management
programme,with regional
Remote Sensing Service
Centres in five Indian cities, and
with Remote Sensing
Application Centres in twenty
Indian states that use IRS
images for economic
developmentapplications.
These include environmental
monitoring, analysing soil
erosionand the impact of soil
conservation measures,forestry
management, determining land
cover for wildlife sanctuaries,
delineating groundwater
potential zones, flood inundation
mapping, drought monitoring,
estimating crop acreage and
deriving agricultural production
estimates,fisheries monitoring,
mining and geological
applications such as surveying

39. metal and mineral deposits,and
urban planning.
Military[edit]
India's satellites and satellite
launch vehicles have had
military spin-offs.While India's
93–124-mile (150–250km)
range Prithvi missile is not
derived from the Indian space
programme,the intermediate
range Agni missile is drawn from
the Indian space programme's
SLV-3.In its early years, when
headed by Vikram Sarabhai and
Satish Dhawan, ISRO opposed
military applications for its dual-
use projects such as the SLV-3.
Eventually, however,
the Defence Researchand
Development
Organisation(DRDO)–based
missile programme borrowed
human resources and
technology from ISRO.Missile
scientist Dr APJ Abdul Kalam
(elected presidentof India in
2002),who had headed the
SLV-3 projectat ISRO,moved
to DRDO to direct India's missile
programme.About a dozen
scientists accompanied Kalam
from ISRO to DRDO, where he
designed the Agni missile using
the SLV-3's solidfuelfirststage
and a liquid-fuel (Prithvi-missile-
derived) second stage.The IRS
and INSAT satellites were
primarily intended and used for
civilian-economic applications,
but they also offeredmilitary
spin-offs.In 1996 New Delhi's
Ministry of Defence temporarily

40. blocked the use of IRS-1C by
India's environmental and
agricultural ministries in order to
monitor ballistic missiles near
India's borders.In 1997
the Indian air force's "Airpower
Doctrine" aspired to use space
assets for surveillance and battle
management.[70]
Academic[edit]
Institutions like the Indira Gandhi
National Open
University (IGNOU) and
the Indian Institutes of
Technologyuse satellites for
scholarly
applications.[71]
Between 1975
and 1976,India conducted its
largest sociologicalprogramme
using space technology,
reaching 2400 villages through
video programming in local
languages aimed at educational
developmentvia ATS-
6 technologydevelopedby
NASA.[72]
This experiment—
named Satellite Instructional
TelevisionExperiment (SITE)—
conducted large scale video
broadcasts resulting in
significant improvementin rural
education.[72]
Full Credit should
go to ISRO for openeducation
revolution in India . Education
could reach far remote rural
places with the help of above
programmes.
Telemedicine[edit]
ISRO has applied its technology
to "telemedicine",directly
connecting patients in rural

41. areas to medicalprofessionals in
urban locations via
satellites.[71]
Since high-quality
healthcare is not universally
available in some of the remote
areas of India, the patients in
remote areas are diagnosed and
analysed by doctors in urban
centres in real time viavideo
conferencing.[71]
The patient is
then advised medicine and
treatment.[71]
The patient is then
treated by the staff at one of the
'super-specialtyhospitals' under
instructions from the
doctor.[71]
Mobile telemedicine
vans are also deployed to visit
locations in far-flung areas and
provide diagnosis and supportto
patients.[71]
Biodiversity Information
System[edit]
ISRO has also helped
implementIndia's Biodiversity
Information System,completed
in October2002.[73]
Nirupa Sen
details the programme:"Based
on intensive field sampling and
mapping using satellite remote
sensing and geospatial
modelling tools, maps have
been made of vegetation cover
on a 1 : 250,000 scale.This has
been put together in a web-
enabled database which links
gene-levelinformation of plant
species with spatial information
in a BIOSPEC database ofthe
ecologicalhot spot regions,
namely northeastern
India,WesternGhats, Western
Himalayas and Andaman and

42. Nicobar Islands.This has been
made possible with collaboration
between the Department of
Biotechnologyand ISRO."[73]
Cartography[edit]
The Indian IRS-P5
(CARTOSAT-1)was equipped
with high-resolution
panchromatic equipment to
enable it for cartographic
purposes.[16]
IRS-P5
(CARTOSAT-1)was followed by
a more advanced model named
IRS-P6 developed also for
agricultural
applications.[16]
The CARTOSAT
-2 project,equipped with single
panchromatic camera which
supported scene-specific on-
spotimages, succeed the
CARTOSAT-1project.[74]
Internationalco-operation[edit]
ISRO has had international
cooperationsince inception.
Some instances are listed
below:
 Establishmentof TERLS,
conduct of SITE & STEP,
launches
of Aryabhata, Bhaskara,
APPLE,IRS-IA and IRS-IB/
satellites, manned space
mission, etc. involved
international cooperation.
 ISRO operates LUT/MCC
under the international
COSPAS/SARSAT
Programme for Search and
Rescue.

43.  India has established a
Centre for Space Science
and TechnologyEducation in
Asia and the Pacific (CSSTE-
AP) that is sponsored by the
United Nations.
 India hosted the Second UN-
ESCAP Ministerial
Conference on Space
Applications for Sustainable
Development in Asia and the
Pacific in November1999.
 India is a memberof the
United Nations Committee on
the PeacefulUses of Outer
Space, Cospas-
Sarsat, International
Astronautical
Federation, Committee on
Space
Research(COSPAR),Inter-
AgencySpace Debris
Coordination
Committee (IADC),Internatio
nal Space University, and the
Committee on Earth
Observation Satellite
(CEOS).[75]
 Chandrayaan-1 carried
scientific payloads
from NASA, ESA, Bulgarian
Space Agency, and other
institutions/companies
in North Americaand Europe.
 The United States
government on 24 January
2011,removed several Indian
government agencies,
including ISRO,from the so-
called Entity List, in an effort
to drive hi-tech trade and
forge closerstrategic ties with
India.[76]

44.  ISRO carries out joint
operations with foreignspace
agencies,such as the Indo-
French Megha-Tropiques
Mission.[75]
 At the International
Astronautical Congress 2014
at Toronto, ISRO chairman K.
Radhakrishnan and NASA ad
ministrator Charles
Boldensigned two
documents.One was
regarding the 2020 launch of
a NASA-ISROSynthetic
Aperture Radar (NISAR)
satellite missionto make
global measurements of the
causes and consequencesof
land surface changes. The
other was to establish a
pathway for future joint
missions to explore Mars.[77]
Antrix Corporation, the
commercialand marketing arm
of ISRO,handles both domestic
and foreign deals.[78]
ISRO and the Department of
Space have signed
formal Memorandum of
Understanding agreements with
a number of foreignpolitical
entities, including:[citation needed]
 Australia
 Brazil
 People's Republic of
China
 Canada
 Egypt
 European Union
 France
 Germany
 Italy
 Japan
 Kazakhstan
 Netherlands
 Norway
 Russia
 Sweden
 Ukraine
 United Kingdom

45.  Hungary
 Israel
 United States
In the 39th Scientific Assembly
of Committee on Space
Researchheld in Mysore, the
ISRO Chairman K.
Radhakrishnan called upon
international synergy in space
missions in view of their
prohibitive cost. He also
mentioned that ISRO is gearing
up to meetthe growing demand
of service providers,security
agencies,etc. in a costeffective
manner.[79]
Foreign satellites with mass of
100 kg or more launchedby
ISRO[edit]
As of December2014,ISRO has
launched over 30 foreign
satellites. Those with mass of
100 kg or more are listed
below.[80]
As of December2014,
only the Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle (PSLV) has been used
to launch all major foreign
satellites. Though reliable, the
PSLV can not launch satellites
having mass greater than
1600 kg.[81]
ISRO is developing
its Geosynchronous Satellite
Launch Vehicle (GSLV)for
launching heavier satellites.
N
o
.
Satel
lite's
nam
e
Coun
try of
origin
Dat
e of
laun
ch
M
as
s
(k
g)
La
un
ch
veh
icle
Other information
Refer
ence(
s)

46. 1
.
KIT
SAT
-3
R
epubli
c of
Korea
26
May
199
9
10
7
PS
LV
-C2
Main payload
was India's IRS-P4
(OCEANSAT) (mass
1050 kg). Launch
vehicle also placed
into orbitGermany's
DLR-TUBSAT (mass
45 kg). PSLV's 2nd
operational launch.
[82]
2
.
AGI
LE
It
aly
23
Apri
l
200
7
35
0
PS
LV
-C8
ISRO's 1st
commerciallaunch
(foreign satellite as
the main
payload). PSLV's
11th flight.
[83]
3
.
TEC
SAR
Isr
ael
21
Janu
ary
200
8
30
0
PS
LV
-
C1
0
ISRO's 2nd
commerciallaunch
(foreign satellite as
the main
payload). PSLV's
12th launch.
[84]
4
.
ALS
AT-
2A
Al
geria
12
July
201
0
11
6
PS
LV
-
C1
5
Main payload was
India's CARTOSAT-
2B (mass 694 kg).
Launch vehicle also
placed into
orbit Canada's
NLS6.1 AISSAT-1
(mass 6.5 kg)
and Switzerland's
NLS6.2 TISAT-1
(mass 1 kg). PSLV's
17th flight.
[85]
5 X- Si 20 10 PS Main payload was
[86]

47. . SAT ngapo
re
Apri
l
201
1
6 LV
-
C1
6
India's
RESOURCESAT-2
(mass 1206 kg).
Launch vehicle also
placed into orbit the
Indo-Russian
YOUTHSAT (mass
92 kg). PSLV's 18th
flight.
6
.
SPO
T-6
Fr
ance
9
Sept
emb
er
201
2
71
2
PS
LV
-
C2
1
ISRO's 3rd
commerciallaunch
(foreign satellite as
main
payload). Launch
vehicle also placed
into orbit Japan's
PROITERES (mass
15 kg). PSLV's 22nd
flight.
[87][88]
7
.
SAP
PHI
RE
C
anada
25
Febr
uary
201
3
14
8
PS
LV
-
C2
0
Main payload was the
Indo-French
satellite SARAL (mas
s 409 kg). Launch
vehicle also placed
into orbitCanada's
NEOSSAT (mass
74 kg), Austria's
NLS8.1 and NLS8.2
(mass 14 kg
each), Denmark's
NLS8.3 (mass 3 kg),
and United Kingdom's
STRAND-1 (mass
6.5 kg). PSLV's 23rd
flight.
[89][90]
8 SPO Fr
30
June
71
PS
LV
ISRO's 4th
commerciallaunch
[80][91]

48. . T-7 ance 201
4
4 -
C2
3
(foreign satellite as
the main
payload). Launch
vehicle also placed
into orbit Germany's
AISAT (mass
14 kg), Canada's
NLS7.1 (CAN-X4)
and NLS7.2 (CAN-
X5) (mass 15 kg each)
and Singapore's
VELOX-1 (mass
7 kg). PSLV's 10th
flight in 'core-alone'
configuration (i.e.
without the use of
solid strap-on motors).
'37'
INDIA’S
ACHIEVEMENTS
IN SPACE
Harish Agrawal*
India’s progress in
spacehas been very
systematic starting
with experimental
satellites like
Aryabhatta, Bhaskara,
Apple and Rohini. It
performed satellite
application
experiments like
SITE, STEP and
Apple application

49. programme. The
operational space
services consistof
INSAT system and
Indian Remote
Sensing Satellites
(IRS). The Indian
SpaceResearch
Organisation (ISRO)
made a modest
beginning in launch
vehicles like SLV-3,
and ASLV. The first
development flight of
the indigenous Polar
Satellite Launch
Vehicle (PSLV) was
carried out in 1992
which could put 1,000
kg class remote
sensing satellite into
900 km polar sun-
synchronous orbit.
India has acquired
eminence in world
class spacescience. It
has mastered modern
spacetechnology and
its various
applications for the
benefit of society.
New spacetechnology
is being utilised for
telecommunications,
television broadcasts,
weather watch and for
providing information
relating to agriculture,
forests, water
resources and
minerals to mention a

50. few.
In the past three
decades ISRO has
built an infrastructure
sectorof space
programme –
construction and
operation of satellites
and their launch
vehicles, ground
station and sensors.
ISRO has also
collaborated with
other Indian
institutions and over
250 private industries.
Both private and
public sectors
manufacture a vanity
of equipment and
materials – light alloy
structure for inter-
stages, motor cases,
liquid thrusters,
propellant tanks, gas
generation and
electronic packages.
The second launch
facility at Sriharikota
at a costof Rs.280
crore is under
construction.
LaunchBusiness
In May last year
ISRO embarked on
the launch business
through PSLV-C2
launch, thereby
creating a strong
impact on the global

51. spacemarket by
successfully launching
two foreign satellites
along with its own
ocean monitoring
remote sensing
satellite. They were
launched by the
PSLV. ISRO’s
marketing agency
Autrix Corporation
has entered the world
market with great
success. Itaims to
secure about 20 per
cent of the global
share of remote
sensing products. Itis
gratifying to note that
PSLV with certain
modifications can put
payloads up to 4,000
kg into low earth
orbits (LEO’s) and up
to 800 kg into geo-
synchronous transfer
orbits (GTO’s).
So far India has
been dependent on
Ariane Space, the
French spaceagency,
for launching its
satellites. But
gradually ISRO is
trying to make use of
its own launching
vehicles. Sriharikota’s
proximity to the
equator gives it a
better payload
advantage for any
polar launch. The

52. flight of INSAT-3B,
INSAT-3A and the
GSLV will take ISRO
into higher orbit.
Once the GSLV is
declared operational,
India’s future INSAT
satellites will be
launched by this
rocket.
Reduced Costs
The Chairman of
ISRO, Dr K
Kasturirangan has
projected a significant
lowering of space
launch costs in the
country in the next
few decades. While
the costfor
positioning one kg of
material in space
today was $20,000 it
was presaged that the
same would come
down to $5000 by
2007 and as low as
$500 per kg between
2030-2050. Fully
reusable vehicles have
also been foreseen. He
reveals hat the
performance
efficiency of Indian
spacecraftis on the
increase.
According to
AerospaceAmerica,
Indian remote sensing
commercial satellites

53. are among the best in
the world. IRS-1C and
IRS-ID provide the
best high resolution
data to the user
community anywhere
in the world and the
data from these
satellites are being
received and used by
several countries
including the US,
Japan, Germany,
Korea, Thailand and
Dubai.
India has now
established credibility
as a spacetechnology
vendor. The world’s
largest satellite
manufacturer in the
US has ordered
satellite hardware
worth US $700,000
from India. India’s
spacetechnology
export earnings have
tripled from around
Rs.10 crore to Rs.30
crore over the past
three years.
INSAT-3B
Recently, ISRO
launched the first of
the third generation
communication
satellite INSAT-3B.
This 2,070 kg satellite
is primarily intended
for business,

54. development and
mobile
communications. It
would almost double
the transponder
capacity. It would
provide the first set of
transponders for
interactive training
and developmental
communications as
part of the Vidya
Vahini programme
announced by the
Prime Minister.
Indian space
scientists are now
engaged in the
development of
cryogenic engine,
required for GSLV in
future. Last February
the test of first home-
made cryogenic
rocket engine was
carried out but a
hydrogen leak
probably led to
premature termination
of the test. But
scientists say the
problem will soonbe
solved. The test was
carried out at the
Liquid Propulsion
Systems Centre at
Mahendragiri in
Tamil Nadu.
Experts agree that
India crossed an
important milestone in

55. the development of
indigenous cryogenic
upper stage for
GSLV. The engine
had employed liquid
hydrogen and liquid
oxygen. This short
duration test proved
that many operations
were successfulwhich
were done for the first
time. Valuable data
have been collected
which are being
analysed for further
tests.
TowardsMoon
Coming on the
heels of all these
developments is
ISRO’s plan to go to
the moon. ISRO has
already begun
preliminary studies to
assess the feasibility
of undertaking such a
mission. ISRO’s
satellite centre
director, Dr P S Goel,
says the study will
cover scientific
benefits which could
be derived from the
lunar mission. ISRO’s
PSLV is a proven
rocket and is capable
of flying up to the
lunar orbit. If India’s
mission to the moon
succeeds, then it
would have joined the

56. US and the former
Soviet Union in
making its presence
felt in the lunar
environment.
ISRO is also
planning to launch a
series of remote
sensing satellites with
a variety of
applications including
one solely dedicated
to the field of
astronomy.
Indian space
scientists foresee
several developments
in the new millennium
when they can scale
new heights.
Revolutionary
developments in the
fields of
communication,
information and
micro- electronics are
driving greater
convergence and
forging new directions
for aerospace
programmes. "Space
would be a strong tool
for development in
future" sys Dr
Kasturirangan. He is
of the view that from
development of civil
applications such as
personal mobile
communications at a
global level and

57. management of
natural disasters to
futuristic vistas such
as spacepower
generation and space
tourism the new
possibilities are
unlimited.
India’s experience
has clearly shown that
the investment in
spacealways pays
through remote
sensing and
telecommunications.
By being fully self-
reliant in space
activities, it is certain
that the resulting
contribution from the
spaceprogramme to
the Indian GDP will
be markedly
significant.
*ScienceWriter