INTRODUCTION: Indian mythology is full of stories of interplanetary travels and flights.

From the very beginning of civilisation, spaceflights have fired the human imagination. The modern space- age can be said to have begun with the launching of the Sputniks by Russia. Since then research and efforts in .space travel have assumed many dimensions. The landing of man on the moon, the launch of space shuttles, and stations etc. reflect the strides taken in space by man. INCOSPAR AND ISRO: The Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was found in 1962 with Vikram Sarabhai as its chairman.[5] The Indian Space Research Organization in its modern form was created by Vikram Sarabhai in 1969.[7] This body was to take control of all space activities in the Republic of India.[7]The prime objective of ISRO is to develop space technology and its application to various national tasks.[8] The Indian space program was driven by the vision of Dr Vikram Sarabhai, considered the father of Indian Space Programme. Launch vehicle fleet: Geopolitical and economic considerations during the 1960s and 1970s compelled India to initiate its own launch vehicle program. During the first phase (1960s-1970s) the country successfully developed a sounding rockets program, and by the 1980s, research had yielded the Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 and the more advanced Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV), complete with operational supporting infrastructure.[12] ISRO further applied its energies to the advancement of launch vehicle technology resulting in the creation of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) technologies. SATELLITE LAUNCHES: The beginning was made in 1975, when India launched its first scientific satellite Aryabhatta I into space, in collaboration with the U. S. S. R. As we did not have our own rocket-launcher, we were helped by the Russians. However, it gave the country space status.