HISTORY OF ISRO

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO, /ˈɪsroʊ/) is the space agency of the Government
of India headquartered in the city of Bengaluru. Its vision is to "harness space technology for national
development", while pursuing space science research and planetary exploration. [3]
Formed in 1969, ISRO superseded the erstwhile Indian National Committee for Space Research
(INCOSPAR) established in 1962 by the efforts of independent India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal
Nehru, and his close aide and scientist Vikram Sarabhai. The establishment of ISRO thus
institutionalised space activities in India.[4] It is managed by the Department of Space, which reports to
the Prime Minister of The Republic of India.
ISRO built India's first satellite, Aryabhata, which was launched by the Soviet Union on 19 April 1975.
It was named after the Mathematician Aryabhata. In 1980, Rohini became the first satellite to be
placed in orbit by an Indian-made launch vehicle, SLV-3. ISRO subsequently developed two other
rockets: the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for launching satellites into polar orbits and
the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) for placing satellites into geostationary orbits.
These rockets have launched numerous communications satellites and earth observation satellites.
Satellite navigation systems like GAGAN and IRNSS have been deployed. In January 2014, ISRO
successfully used an indigenous cryogenic engine in a GSLV-D5 launch of the GSAT-14.[5][6]
ISRO sent one lunar orbiter, Chandrayaan-1, on 22 October 2008 and one Mars orbiter, Mars Orbiter
Mission, which successfully entered Mars orbit on 24 September 2014, making India the first nation to
succeed on its first attempt, and ISRO the fourth space agency in the world as well as the first space
agency in Asia to successfully reach Mars orbit.[7] Future plans include the development of GSLV Mk
III (for the launch of heavier satellites), ULV, development of a reusable launch vehicle, human
spaceflight, further lunar exploration, interplanetary probes, a solar spacecraft mission, etc.[8] On 18
June 2016 ISRO successfully set a record with a launch of 20 satellites in a single payload, one being
a satellite from Google.[9] On 15 February 2017, ISRO launched 104 satellites in a single rocket
(PSLV-C37) and created a world record.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF ISRO

1 Mangalyaan, 2014: India joined an exclusive global club when it

successfully launched the Mars Orbiter Mission on a shoestring budget that
was at least 10 times lower than a similar project by the US. The Rs 450-
crore project revolved round the Red Planet and to collect data on Mars’
atmosphere and mineral composition.

2 Chandrayaan, 2008: India’s first unmanned lunar probe was launched

almost a decade ago and was a landmark in India’s space mission. Isro joined
an elite list of just six space organisations to send an orbiter to the moon. A
Tricolor was hoisted on the moon but Isro lost contact
with Chandrayaan soon after.
3 Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, 2016: The seven-satellite
system created India’s very own satellite navigation system e terrestrial and
will provide services in marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle
tracking and fleet management, and navigation aide for drivers. Experts said
an Indian-owned system will be particularly useful in times of war to gain
positional accuracy.

4 Launching 20 satellites, 2016: In June, the Isro launched 20 satellites in

one mission, a record for the space agency. Apart from Isro’s own satellites
and those built by university students in the country, the mission carried
satellites from the US, Canada, Germany and Indonesia.

5 Indian National Satellite system, 1983: Known better by its popular name
Insat, the system is a network of satellites that facilitates communications and
broadcasting across the south Asian region. The first satellite in the series
was placed into orbit in 1983 and ushered in a revolution in India’s television
and radio broadcasting, telecommunications and meteorological sectors. Nine
satellites are operational.

6 Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, 1993: It was developed in the 1990s and
has become the Indian space mission’s most reliable workhorse. The PSLV
carried out its first mission in 1993 but its first successful outing was the next
year. For the next 20 years, it launched various satellites for historic missions
such as the Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan. PSLV remains a favourite among
various organisations as a launch service provider and has launched over 40
satellites for 19 countries.

7 Reusable Launch Vehicle, 2016: In May, Isro successfully tested the

Reusable Launch Vehicle — Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) that was
built for Rs 95 crore. The winged flight vehicle — dubbed as India’s space
shuttle — that glided back onto a virtual runway in the Bay of Bengal in a
10-minute mission was the first stage of a fully re-usable vehicle, seen as the
future of low cost, reliable and on-demand space access.

8 Aryabhatta, 1975: The Aryabhata spacecraft that was named after the
famous Indian astronomer was the country’s first satellite. It marked a
milestone in India’s space programme because it was completely designed in
the country and launched from a Russian facility in 1975.