INDIAN SPACE PROGRAMME

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is India’s national space agency. With its headquarters in Bangalore, the ISRO employs approximately 17,000 people. Its mandate is the development of technologies related to space and their applications towards India’s development. The ISRO is the only organisation in South Asia dedicated to space research and the launching of satellites. In addition to domestic payloads, it offers international launch services. ISRO is regarded as one of the top 5 space agencies in the world.
ISRO was founded in 1969 under the Department of Atomic Energy and continued under the Space Commission and Department of Space, created in June of 1972. India’s and ISRO’s first foray into space began with the launch of its satellite Aryabhata in 1975 by a Soviet booster. The first domestic launch was in 1980.
Dr. Vikram Sarabhai is the founding father of the ISRO and thus the Indian space programme.
The ISRO has a long history of cooperation with Russian Federation. By the 1990’s, ISRO had planned to acquire booster technology from the Russian space organization Glavkosmos. The United States opposed the technology transfer on non-proliferation grounds and imposed sanctions against the ISRO in May, 1992.
Under pressure, Glavkomos halted the transfer of associated manufacturing and design technology to India, but agreed to sell some hardware. Consequently, India developed its own robust booster technology and research capability. ISRO still uses some Russian technology for cryogenic stages on the GSLV, but this is being replaced by their own designs.
Achievements:
• 1962: Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR); formed by the Department of Atomic Energy, and work on establishing Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) near Trivandrum began.
• 1963: First sounding rocket launched from TERLS on November 21, 1963.
• 1965: Space Science & Technology Centre (SSTC) established in Thumba.
• 1967: Satellite Telecommunication Earth Station set up at Ahmedabad.
• 1972: Space Commission and Department of Space set up.
• 1975: First Indian Satellite, Aryabhata, launched (April 19, 1975).
• 1976: Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) conducted.
• 1979: Bhaskara-1, an experimental satellite launched. First experimental launch of SLV-3 with Rohini satellite on board failed.
• 1980: Second experimental launch of SLV-3 Rohini satellite successfully placed in orbit.
• 1981: APPLE, an experimental geostationary communication satellite successfully launched on June 19.
• 1981: Bhaskara-II launched on November 20.
• 1982: INSAT-1A launched (April); deactivated in September.
• 1983: Second launch of SLV-3. RS-D2 placed in orbit. INSAT-1B launched.
• 1984: Indo-Soviet manned space mission (April). Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to reach space.
• 1987: ASLV with SROSS-1 satellite on board launched.
• 1988: First Indian remote sensing satellite, IRS-1A launched. INSAT-1C launched (July). Abandoned in November.
• 1990: INSAT-1D launched successfully.
• 1991: Launch of second operational Remote Sensing satellite, IRS-1B (August).
• 1992: Third developmental launch of ASLV with SROCC-C on board (May). Satellite placed in orbit. First indigenously built satellite INSAT-2A launched successfully.
• 1993: INSAT-2B launched in July successfully. First developmental launch of PSLV with IRS-1E on board fails.
• 1994: Fourth developmental launch of ASLV successful (May). Second developmental launch of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) with IRS-P2 successfully (October).
• 1995: INSAT-2C launched in December. Third operational IRS (IRS) launched.
• 1996: Third developmental launch of PSLV with IRS-P3 successful (March).
• 1997: INSAT-2D launched in June becomes inoperational in October. Arabsat1C, since renamed INSAT-2DT, acquired in November. First operational launch of PSLV with IRS-1D successful (September).
• 1998: INSAT system capacity augmented with the readiness of INSAT-2DT acquired from Arabsat (January).
• 1999: INSAT-2E the last satellite in the multi-purpose INSAT-2 series, launched by Ariane from Kourou French Guyana (April 3, 1999). IRS-P4 (OCEANSAT), launched by Polar Satellite launch vehicle (PSLV-C2) along with Korean KITSAT-3 and German DLR-TUBSAT from Sriharikota (26 May 1999).
• 2000: INSAT-3B was launched on 22 March 2000.
• 2001: Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-D1 (GDLV-D1), the first developmental launch of GSLV with GSAT-1 onboard partially successful.
• 2002: INSAT-3C launced successfully by Arianespace (January), PSLV-C4 launches KALPANA-1 (September).
• 2003: GSLV-D2, the second developmental launch of GSLV with GSAT-2 successful (May).
• 2004: First operational flight of GSLV (F1) successfully launches EDUSAT (September).
• 2005: Launch of CARTOSAT and HAMSAT by PSLV-C6 from the second launch pad (Universal Launch Pad) (May).
• 2006: INSAT 4A Launched successfully. Planned launch of CARTOSAT-2, SRE and LAPAN-TUBSAT
ISRO also plans to launch payloads SRE-1 and GSAT-4 over the next couple of years.
In December 2005, ISRO and Roskosmos of Russia agreed to cooperate on solar physics.