GK · Chapter 14

Space Program in India

ISRO · Space Centres · Satellites · Missions · Launch Vehicles · Astronauts

Overview

Beginning of Space Program: 1962
Indian National Committee for Space Research formed: 1962; First Chairman: Vikram Sarabhai
Father of Indian Space Program: Vikram Sarabhai
Department of Space & Space Commission formed: 1972
National Space Day: 23rd August — marks the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission

1962Space Program Begins

1969ISRO Founded

23 AugNational Space Day

Governing & Industry Bodies

Body	Details
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)	Formed 1969; HQ: Bengaluru; Current Chairman: V. Narayanan
Indian Space Association	Started October 2021; association of space/satellite companies; Tagline: "From Earth to the Universe"; boosts private sector participation
New Space India Limited (NSIL)	Established 2019; commercial arm of ISRO

Space Centres and Units

Centre / Unit	Established	Location	Key Function
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)	SSTC 1965; VSSC name 1972	Thiruvananthapuram	Lead launch-vehicle technology centre
Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR)	1971	Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh	ISRO's main launch centre
Space Applications Centre (SAC)	1972	Ahmedabad, Gujarat	Space applications
U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC; formerly ISAC)	1972	Bengaluru, Karnataka	Satellite design, manufacturing, testing, management
National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)	1974	Balanagar, Hyderabad, Telangana	Remote sensing
ISTRAC	1976	Bengaluru, Karnataka	Tracking satellites, telemetry, sending commands
Master Control Facility (MCF)	1982; Second unit 2005	Hassan, Karnataka; Bhopal, MP	Satellite control
Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC)	1987	Valiamala, Thiruvananthapuram; Bengaluru unit	Liquid/cryogenic propulsion systems
ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC)	2014	Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu	Storable liquid propellants; cryogenic engine development

⚡ QUICK RECALL URSC and ISTRAC are headquartered in Bengaluru. LPSC is headquartered at Valiamala, Thiruvananthapuram, and has a Bengaluru unit.

Satellites — Overview

Natural Satellite: Moon
Artificial Satellite: Man-made satellite placed in space
First Artificial Satellite: Sputnik-1 (1957, Soviet Union)
First Indian Artificial Satellite: Aryabhata (1975)

Types of Satellites by Orbital Path

Orbit Type	Details
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)	Roughly 160–2,000 km; circular or elliptical
Solar-Synchronous Orbit	Altitude 500–1000 km; near-polar orbit, North to South
Geosynchronous Orbit	Period equals Earth's rotation; geostationary is the circular equatorial case at about 35,786 km
Highly Elliptical Molniya Orbit	Altitudes 504–39,834 km

⚠ EXAM TRAP Geosynchronous orbit altitude (36,000 km) is often confused with LEO (200–2000 km) — remember LEO is much closer to Earth, used for remote sensing; Geosynchronous is for communication satellites.

Firsts in World Space History

Year	Achievement
1957	First artificial satellite — Sputnik-1 (USSR)
1958	First US artificial satellite — Explorer-1
1966	First successful lunar soft landing — Luna 9 (USSR)
1969	First spacecraft to land humans on the Moon — Apollo-11 (USA)
1981	First space shuttle in space — Columbia (USA)
2001	First space tourist — Dennis Tito; first spacecraft to land on an asteroid — NEAR Shoemaker (NASA), on Eros-433

Major Space Agencies of the World

Agency	Full Name	Country / Type	HQ
Roscosmos	Russian Federal Space Agency	Russia	Moscow
CNES	Centre National d'Études Spatiales	France (1961)	Paris
NASA	National Aeronautics and Space Administration	USA (est. 1958)	Washington DC
ESA	European Space Agency	Intergovernmental; 23 Member States (dated snapshot)	Paris (1975)
JAXA	Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency	Japan (2003)	Tokyo

Country	First Satellite	Launch Date
Russia	Sputnik-1	4 Oct 1957
USA	Explorer-1	31 Jan 1958
France	Astérix on A-1	26 Nov 1965
Japan	Ohsumi	11 Feb 1970
China	Dong Fang Hong-1	24 Apr 1970
UK	Prospero on X-3	28 Oct 1971
India	Aryabhata-1	19 Apr 1975

Chandrayaan Missions

Mission	Details
Chandrayaan-1	Launched 22 Oct 2008; PSLV-C11 from Sriharikota; India's first lunar mission
Chandrayaan-2	Launched 22 Jul 2019; targeted South Pole of Moon; Launch Vehicle: GSLV-MkIII (Bahubali); partially successful; impact point named Tiranga Sthal
Chandrayaan-3	Launched 14 Jul 2023; Lander: Vikram, Rover: Pragyan; Launch Vehicle: LVM3-M4; landing site: Shiv Shakti Sthal

Other Major Missions

Mission	Details
Aditya L-1	Launched 2 Sep 2023; PSLV-C57; India's first mission to study the Sun
100th Launch from Sriharikota	29 Jan 2025; Satellite: NVS-02 using GSLV F-15
ISRO's First Launch	SLV-3E1 / Rohini Technology

Future Missions

India's human-spaceflight programme; the first uncrewed G1 mission with Vyommitra is targeted for Q4 2026, followed by further uncrewed tests and the first crewed mission targeted in 2027
NISAR — A joint NASA–ISRO dual-band radar Earth-observation satellite; launched by GSLV-F16 on 30 July 2025 into a 743-km Sun-synchronous orbit and now operational
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan has announced India's own Space Station by 2035, and an Indian astronaut landing on the Moon and returning independently by 2040.

Astronauts

Achievement	Person	Details
First Indian Astronaut	Rakesh Sharma	1984; travelled on Soyuz T-11
First Woman of Indian Origin in Space	Kalpana Chawla	1997, 2003; travelled on Space Shuttle Columbia
Second Woman of Indian Origin in Space	Sunita Williams	2006
First Indian to reach ISS	Shubhanshu Shukla	Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4)

⚠ EXAM TRAP Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams are Indian-ORIGIN (US citizens); Rakesh Sharma is the first genuinely Indian citizen in space; Shubhanshu Shukla is the first Indian to reach the ISS specifically. Three distinct "firsts."

Major Indian Satellites

Satellite	Launch Year	Key Details
Aryabhata	19 April 1975	Launched from Kapustin Yar, USSR (Kosmos-3M)
Bhaskara-I	1979	Soviet Intercosmos launch vehicle from Volgograd Station, USSR
Bhaskara-II	1981	Soviet Intercosmos launch vehicle from Volgograd Station, USSR
Rohini RS-1	1980	Launched from Sriharikota using SLV-3
APPLE	1981	Launched from Kourou Space Centre, French Guiana, using Ariane-1 (V-3)
Kalpana-1 (METSAT)	2002	Launched from Sriharikota using PSLV-C4; India's first dedicated meteorological satellite

INSAT System established 1983; multi-purpose operational satellite system; one of the largest domestic communication satellite systems in the Asia-Pacific region.

Generation	Satellites
First Generation	INSAT 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D
Second Generation	INSAT 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E
Third Generation	INSAT-3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3DR and 3E
Fourth Generation	INSAT-4A, INSAT-4B, INSAT-4C and INSAT-4CR; INSAT-4C's launch was unsuccessful and 4CR followed

Launch Vehicle Technology

Vehicle	Key Details
SLV-3	India's first launch vehicle; launched 18 July 1980; India became the 6th member of the Space Club (after USSR, USA, France, Japan, China)
PSLV	PSLV-D1 flew on 20 September 1993 but was unsuccessful; PSLV-D2 succeeded on 15 October 1994; PSLV is a four-stage workhorse used especially for LEO/SSO missions
GSLV	GSLV Mk II first flew on 18 April 2001 and can place about 2.25 t into GTO; LVM3 is the separate heavier launcher with over 4 t GTO capability

⚠ EXAM TRAP India was the SIXTH country in the Space Club — the order was USSR, USA, France, Japan, China, then India (1980 with SLV-3). Sequencing this list correctly is a common exam ask.

Space Observatories

Observatory	Details
Hubble Space Observatory	Launched 1990
Chandra X-ray Observatory	Launched 1999
AstroSat	India's first space observatory mission, 2015
Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO)	Hanle, Ladakh; Himalayan Chandra Telescope dedicated in 2001
Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO)	World's highest astronomical observatory; Mount Chajnantor, Chile

Quick Reference Summary

Father of Indian Space ProgramVikram Sarabhai

ISRO Founded1969; HQ: Bengaluru

ISRO Current ChairmanV. Narayanan

New Space India LimitedEst. 2019; commercial arm of ISRO

National Space Day23 August (Chandrayaan-3 success)

First Indian Artificial SatelliteAryabhata (19 April 1975)

First Artificial Satellite (World)Sputnik-1 (1957, USSR)

Chandrayaan-122 Oct 2008; PSLV-C11; India's first lunar mission

Chandrayaan-222 Jul 2019; GSLV-MkIII; partially successful

Chandrayaan-314 Jul 2023; landing site: Shiv Shakti Sthal

Aditya L-12 Sep 2023; PSLV-C57; study of the Sun

100th Launch from Sriharikota29 Jan 2025; NVS-02 using GSLV F-15

GaganyaanIndia's human-spaceflight programme; the first uncrewed G1 mission with Vyommitra is targeted for Q4 2026, followed by further uncrewed tests and the first crewed mission targeted in 2027

NISARLaunched 30 July 2025; joint NASA-ISRO dual-band radar Earth-observation mission

First Indian AstronautRakesh Sharma (1984); Soyuz T-11

First Woman of Indian Origin in SpaceKalpana Chawla (1997, 2003); Columbia

Kalpana-1 (METSAT)2002; India's first dedicated meteorological satellite

INSAT SystemEst. 1983; multi-purpose operational satellite system

SLV-3India's first launch vehicle; 18 Jul 1980

PSLVD1: 20 September 1993 (unsuccessful); D2: 15 October 1994 (first success); four-stage

GSLVGSLV Mk II first flew on 18 April 2001 and can place about 2.25 t into GTO; LVM3 is the separate heavier launcher with over 4 t GTO capability

AstroSatIndia's first space observatory mission (2015)