Space Missions of India

Space Missions of India till 2024

Aryabhata Satellite

'Aryabhata' was India's first artificial satellite launched on 19 April 1975. This artificial satellite was named Aryabhata in memory of the mathematician Aryabhata who lived in the 5th century AD. The satellite was built by ISRO. Aryabhata was built to conduct experiments related to X-ray, astronomy, solar physics, aeronautics, etc. Aryabhata, launched from the Volgograd Launch Center in Russia on a Soviet rocket 'Kosmos', weighed 360 kg. The launch of Aryabhata was the first step in India's space exploration.

Bhaskara Satellite

Bhaskara I is India's second artificial satellite. Bhaskara I and Bhaskara II are the other two Indian artificial satellites launched from Volgograd, Russia after the launch of Aryabhatta. Bhaskara I was India's first remote sensing experimental satellite. Bhaskara I was launched on 7 June 1979 and weighed 444 kg. Bhaskara II was launched on 20 November 1981. The satellites were built by ISRO. The main objective of the Bhaskara satellite launch was to collect data on oceanography and hydrology. Both the satellites are named after the ancient Indian mathematicians Bhaskara I and Bhaskara II.

Rohini Satellite

Rohini is a series of satellites launched by ISRO. The Rohini series includes four satellites. All of them were launched in Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV). Three of them successfully reached orbit. 'Rohini' was the first satellite launched from India. The first Rohini satellite was launched on 10 August 1979. The Rohini satellites were launched using India's satellite launch vehicle 'SLV'. The first of these was not successful. The second Rohini satellite was launched on 18 July 1980, the third on 31 May 1981 and the fourth on 17 April 1983. 'Rohini' was launched from Sriharikota.

APPLE Satellite

Apple is India's first communication satellite. The satellite was launched on an experimental basis. This satellite, built by ISRO, was launched into space on June 19, 1981 from the Kourou launch site in French Guiana, South America. India's radio and television media progressed on the back of the 670-kilogram apple.

INSAT Satellites

Commissioned in 1983, the INSAT series is the largest satellite network in the Asia-Pacific region. The satellites in this series are 1 (A,B,C,D), 2 (A,B,C,D,E), 3 (A,B,C,D,DR,E), and 4 (A,B,C,CR). Most of these satellites, which are mainly used for communication and television broadcasting, have been put into orbit by Arianespace. It is a joint venture of the Department of Space, Department of Telecommunications, India Meteorological Department, All India Radio and Doordarshan.

SROSS Satellites (Stretched Rohini Satellite Series)

SROSS (Stretched Rohini Satellite Series) is a scientific exploration satellite developed by ISRO as a follow-up to Rohini satellite. The first satellite in the SROSS series was launched on 24 March 1987 but failed. However, SROSS C, launched on 20 May 1992, was the first satellite in the SROSS series to be successfully launched. The launch vehicle was ASLV D3. The SROSS series satellites were built by ISRO. SROSS was built to conduct experiments related to astrophysics, Earth remote sensing, upper atmosphere etc. 'SROSS' was launched from Sriharikota.

IRS Satellites

IRS are satellites used for exploration and collection of natural resources. They are used to provide more information about the Earth, mainly about the Earth's surface. The technology used for this is called remote sensing. Every object reflects sunlight in a different way. Therefore, by sensing the reflected waves, information about that object can be obtained. This principle is used here. India's first remote sensing satellite is IRS 1A, the first satellite in the IRS series. IRS 1A is a heliostat. IRS 1B, IRS 1C, IRS 1E (failure), and IRS 1D are the satellites in the IRS series.

Oceansat Series

Oceansat - 1 is India's first satellite for ocean studies. It is also known as IRSP-4. It was launched on 26 May 1999 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Oceansat-2 is India's second satellite for oceanographic studies. Oceansat-2 was launched from Sriharikota on 23 September 2009. Oceansat-2 weighs 952 kg. Oceansat-3 is the third satellite in the Oceansat series. It was launched from Sriharikota on 26 November 2022.

Geosynchronous Satellite (GSAT)

GSAT is an indigenously developed communication satellite of India. It is used for digital audio, data and video transmission.

TES (Technology Experiment Satellite(TES))

The Technology Experiment Satellite (TES), considered to be India's spy satellite, was launched on 22 October 2001. TES is an experimental satellite to demonstrate and validate technologies such as attitude and orbit control system, high-torque reaction wheels, new reaction control system and light. TES also carried a panchromatic camera for remote sensing experiments. The satellite was built by ISRO. TES, launched from the Sriharikota launch centre on a 'PSLV C3' vehicle, weighed 1108 kg.

METSAT (Kalpana-1)

India's first meteorological satellite. The Meteorological Satellite or METSAT is the first of the ISRO satellites to be used exclusively for meteorological observation. It was launched on 12 September 2002. The satellite, named METSAT, was named Kalpana-1 by the Government of India in honour of astronaut Kalpana Chawla, who died in the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster in 2003.

RESOURCESAT

The ResourceSAT is a series of satellites launched by ISRO. The first of these, ResourceSAT-1, is the tenth satellite in the IRS series. The second satellite, ResourceSat-2, was launched on 20 April 2011 and the last satellite, ResourceSat-2A, was launched on 7 December 2016. The 'ResourceSat' satellites were launched from Sriharikota.

EDUSAT/GSAT-3

EDUSAT is India's complete education satellite. GSAT 3, which was launched from Sriharikota on 20 September 2004, is also called EDUSAT. The satellite was launched on the GSLVMK1F01 vehicle. It weighs 1950 kg. The VICTERS program is a project conceived to bring education directly to all schools and colleges in India through EDUSAT. VICTERS is India's first broadband network under EDUSAT. This satellite can also provide telemedicine services to leading hospitals.

Cartosat

Cartosat is an Indian satellite that helps in the preparation of maps and resource maps. The information it provides is very useful for updating maps, especially topographical maps. Apart from this, it is useful for resource mapping, forest fire detection, road and river mapping, water availability study, forest extent and types study and many other things. Cartosat-1 was launched on 5 May 2005 from Sriharikota on PSLV-C6. Hamsat is a light satellite launched along with Cartosat-1. It is a satellite that helps in expanding amateur radio services (ham radio).

SRE-1 (Space Capsule Recovery Experiment, SRE-1)

SRE-1, India's first satellite that can be recovered from orbit, was launched on 10 January 2007. SRE-1, launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on a PSLV C7 vehicle, weighed 550 kg. SRE-1 crashed into the Bay of Bengal on 22 January 2007. The Indian Navy and the Coast Guard brought SRE-1 to land, making India one of the few countries capable of returning satellites to Earth.

Chandrayaan 1

Chandrayaan 1 was launched on 22 October 2008 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The PSLV C11 rocket took the spacecraft into the sky. The energy required for Chandrayaan's operations is obtained from the sun. A lithium-ion battery was installed to provide the energy required for Chandrayaan's operations in the absence of sunlight. This 1308 kg spacecraft was made possible in four years at a cost of about Rs 386 crore. The Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft had two parts, the Lunar Orbiter and the Impactor. The orbiter and the impactor were connected in a way that they would separate themselves when they reached the lunar orbit. The orbiter was a remote sensing satellite that orbited the moon and observed the moon. It was controlled from the control center on Earth.

On November 8, 2008, the spacecraft reached the lunar orbit. On November 14, the orbiter and impactor separated. The impactor crashed into the lunar surface. The orbiter began observing the moon from an altitude of 100 km above the lunar surface. The main objective of the Chandrayaan 1 mission was to study the lunar surface in detail. The reason was the assumption that there is water in the form of ice at the south pole of the moon. On September 24, 2009, Chandrayaan also made the important discovery that there is more water on the moon than previously thought. The orbiter was operational until August 2009. After that, communication was lost. The Chandrayaan 1 mission was terminated 312 days after reaching orbit. ISRO stated that the spacecraft had achieved 95 percent of its goal. During this period, the orbiter orbited the Moon 3400 times. This is one of the biggest achievements of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). India is the fourth country to launch a spacecraft to study the Moon.

RISAT

RISAT-I is an indigenously built radar imaging satellite. RISAT is an abbreviation for Radar Imaging Satellite. It was launched on 26 April 2012 aboard the PSLV C-19 vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The 1850 kg satellite is the heaviest indigenously built. RISAT-I is aimed at disaster management and precision weather monitoring. Its mission is for five years. RISAT-2, an Earth observation satellite, is a precision satellite that will help in disaster management. It was launched on 20 April 2009 on PSLV C-12.

ANUSAT

Anusat is the first satellite built by an Indian university under the auspices of ISRO. Built by Anna University in Tamil Nadu, Anusat was launched on 20 April 2009 on PSLV C-12 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The satellite carried amateur radio and technology demonstration experiments. ISRO, which carried out the launch operations, also funded the development of the satellite.

MEGHA-TROPIQUES

MEGHA-TROPIQUES is a satellite that will help in studying climate change. Megha Tropiques was launched on 12 October 2011 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, aboard the PSLV C 18 vehicle. This satellite will collect data on the water cycle and energy exchange in the tropics. It is a joint venture between India and France. Megha Tropiques is a 1000 kg satellite. It was also launched along with Jugnu.

Jugnu Satellite

Jugnu is a three kg remote sensing satellite built by students and teachers of IIT Kanpur. It is India's first nano satellite. It will help in agriculture and disaster management. The satellite was launched on 12 October 2011. It was launched on the PSLV C 18 vehicle from Sriharikota.

SARAL Satellite

The SARAL satellite is a joint venture between India and France for ocean studies. It was launched on 25 February 2013 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, aboard the PSLV C20 vehicle. The main objective of SARAL is to study the surface of the oceans in detail. SARAL operates with the help of the Argos and Altika instruments developed by France. SARAL weighs 407 kg.

NavIC

The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is the first indigenously developed navigation satellite system in India. IRNSS is now known as NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation). The Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota is the launch centre for the NAVIC satellite network. The satellite system can provide useful information for areas such as air, naval, land transport, disaster management, mobile navigation control and can monitor the situation within a radius of 1500 km of the country. The ground control centre of NAVIC, India's regional satellite navigation system, is located in Byalalu near Mysore. With this satellite development, India has joined the US (Navstar GPS), Russia (GLONASS), China (BeiDou), Japan, France (DORIS) and the European Union (Galileo) in developing a navigation satellite system indigenously.

Vehicle and launch date of IRNSS satellites

◆ IRNSS 1A - PSLV C22 (1 July 2013)

◆ IRNSS 1B - PSLV C24 (4 April 2014)

◆ IRNSS 1C - PSLV C26 (16 October 2014)

◆ IRNSS 1D - PSLV C27 (28 March 2015)

◆ IRNSS 1E - PSLV C31 (20 January 2016)

◆ IRNSS 1F - PSLV C32 (10 March 2016)

◆ IRNSS 1G - PSLV C33 (28 April 2016)

◆ IRNSS 1H (failed) - PSLV C39 (31 August 2017)

◆ IRNSS 1I - PSLV C41 (12 April 2018)

Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission)

On November 5, 2013, India launched its first interstellar spacecraft, Mangalyaan, to Mars. Mangalyaan is India's first Mars exploration mission. Mangalyaan was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota on a PSLV C25 rocket. Mangalyaan weighed 1337 kilograms at the time of launch. Mangalyaan entered the orbit of Mars on September 24, 2014. Mangalyaan's objective was to study the presence of meteorites on Mars. India is the only country to have successfully launched the first Mars mission and the first Asian country to have successfully launched a Mars mission. India is the fourth space power to have successfully launched a mission to Mars. ISRO is the fourth space agency to have successfully launched a mission to Mars after Roscosmos (Russia), NASA (USA) and the European Space Agency. Other countries that have successfully launched Mars missions include the US, Russia, the European Union, China, and the UAE.

Astrosat

The Astrosat space telescope is India's first space observation mission. India is the fifth country in the world to have a space observation mission after the USA, Russia, Japan, and the European Space Agency (ESA). Astrosat is described as 'India's eyes on the universe'. It was successfully launched on 27 September 2015 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. Astrosat was put into orbit on a vehicle called PSLV C30 along with seven satellites. The other satellites that entered orbit with Astrosat are Indonesia's LAPAN - A2, Canada's NLS-14, and four LEMUR satellites of the USA. This is the first time that India has launched a satellite from the United States. Astrosat is a space telescope capable of observing the universe using ultraviolet, optical and X-ray wavelengths. Astrosat, which weighs 1513 kg, has a five-year operational life. Astrosat will be able to observe everything from distant galaxies to black holes. It is orbiting at a distance of 650 km from the equator.

South Asia Satellite

The South Asia Satellite is an artificial satellite launched with the aim of providing India's neighboring countries in South Asia with a leap in the field of information and telecommunications through space technology. The South Asia Satellite came into being after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the idea of ​​a satellite that would meet the needs of the SAARC member countries at the 18th SAARC Summit held in Nepal in 2014. The successful launch was on 5 May 2017 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The satellite was launched into orbit on a GSLV F09 vehicle. GSAT-9 is known as the South Asia Satellite.

NIUSAT

The 15 kg nano satellite NIUSAT, built by the Takkala Noorul Islam University (Tamil Nadu) in Kanyakumari district under the supervision of ISRO, was put into orbit by PSLV. It was launched on a PSLV C38 vehicle along with the ISRO-built Cartosat for Earth observation. NIUSAT is equipped with sensing technology that can predict and detect natural disasters such as landslides, sea waves, tsunamis, floods, and forest fires. The satellite will also be used in disaster management and agriculture. A mission control centre has been set up at the university for ground control of Niusat. A UHF/VHF antenna for telemetry/tele-command operations and an S-band antenna for payload data reception have been installed at the university control centre.

HySIS

HySIS is India's first Hyper Spectaral Imaging Satellite. The 380-kg HySIS was developed by the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad. It was successfully launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on 29 November 2018. The satellite, an Earth observation satellite, aims to study the Earth's surface with greater precision and accuracy. The satellite's specialty is the modern technology of hyperspectral imaging. The satellite was launched into orbit on the PSLV C43 vehicle. Along with HySIS, 30 foreign satellites were also launched into orbit by the PSLV C43 launch vehicle.

Exseedsat-1

'Exseedsat-1' is India's first privately built communication satellite. It was launched from the American rocket launch center SpaceX along with 63 other satellites from 17 countries. The launch was on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle. ExceedSat-1 was built by some private entrepreneurs in the city under the leadership of Asher Farhan, a ham radio operator and social activist from Hyderabad. ExceedSat-1 is a private satellite that was built in two years at a cost of Rs 2 crore without the help of any other government agencies including ISRO.

Kalamsat-V2

Kalamsat V2 is the lightest man-made satellite launched by India, which ISRO successfully put into orbit. Kalamsat V2 weighed 1.26 kilograms. It was launched on January 24, 2019, on a PSLV C-44 vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. Kalamsat was designed by an educational institution called Space Kids India in Chennai. Kalamsat V2 is the first satellite launched by ISRO by a private sector. Kalamsat (64 gm) and Jai Hind 1s (33.39 gm) are two satellites that are lighter than Kalamsat V2 and have not reached orbit. Microsat - R is the satellite that ISRO successfully tested along with Kalamsat V2.

GEMINI Device

GEMINI is the full form of Gagan Enabled Mariner's Instrument for Navigation and Information. Gagan stands for GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation. Gemini is a portable receiver connected to ISRO satellites. GEMINI is a device developed in collaboration with the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Service and the Airports Authority of India. This device can be used to warn fishermen who are outside the signal range of phone companies. Signals can be sent up to 300 nautical miles. It is used for disaster warnings, fishing zones, and ocean state forecasts. India is the third country after the USA and the European Union to have satellite-based navigation.

Mission Shakti

A - SAT (Anti-Satellite Missile Test) is an anti-satellite missile developed and successfully tested jointly by DRDO and ISRO. Mission Shakti is the name of the A - SAT test mission. A - SAT was launched from Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Island in Balasore, Odisha on March 27, 2019. The special feature of A-SAT is that it can destroy a satellite in space with a missile. India is the fourth country to acquire A-SAT technology after the United States, Russia and China. The first A-SAT to destroy a satellite called Microsat-R was expected.

EMISAT

EMISAT (Electro Magnetic Intelligence Satellite) is a radar-detectable spy satellite developed jointly by DRDO and ISRO. EMISAT was developed under Project Kautilya. It was launched on 1 April 2019 on PSLV C-45 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The 436-kg EMISAT successfully entered orbit along with 29 other satellites from countries including the US, Spain and Switzerland. EMISAT was designed by DRDO based on Israel's spy satellite Saral. The satellite has technologies such as automatic identification system and electromagnetic system to capture messages from ships.

Chandrayaan 2

Chandrayaan 2 is India's second lunar exploration mission. Chandrayaan 2 was launched to confirm and study the presence of ice found at the south pole of the moon by Chandrayaan-1. The mission also included a lander, a rover and an orbiter. Chandrayaan 2 was launched on July 22, 2019, aboard the GSLV Mark 3 launch vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. India's Chandrayaan-2 mission targeted the Moon's south pole, which no country has explored so far. India's second lunar mission did not reach its full goal after Chandrayaan-2, which came within two kilometers of the Moon on September 7, 2019, deviated from its pre-determined path and lost signal from the Vikram lander. The mission cost about Rs 978 crore.

EOS (Earth Observation Satellite)

Earth Observation Satellites are satellites with remote sensing technology. Earth observation satellites are responsible for collecting information about the physical, chemical and biological systems of the Earth. EOS is a satellite series launched for agriculture, forestry, horticulture, soil moisture, disaster management, hydrology, flood mapping, etc. The EOS series includes EOS 01, EOS 02, EOS 03, EOS 04, EOS 05 and EOS 06. Other Earth observation satellites launched by ISRO include ResourceSat 2, ResourceSat 2A, Cartosat 1, Cartosat 2, Cartosat 2A, Cartosat 2B, Risat 1, Risat 2, OceanSat 2, Megha Tropics, Saral, Scatsat 1, INSAT 3DR and INSAT 3D.

Sindhu Netra

Sindhu Netra is a satellite developed by young scientists at DRDO. Sindhu Netra is an Earth observation satellite aimed at monitoring warships and cargo ships in the Indian Ocean. Launched on 28 February 2021 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Sindhu Netra was successfully placed into orbit along with 18 other satellites aboard the PSLV C-51. A picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an electronic version of the Bhagavad Gita, and the names of 25,000 Indian citizens were sent into space as part of this mission.

Sri Shakthi Sat

Sri Shakthi Sat is an Indian satellite launched on 28 February 2021 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Sri Shakthi Sat is a nano satellite designed by students of Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering & Technology, Coimbatore. Sri Shakthi Sat was successfully launched into orbit along with 18 other satellites on the PSLV C-51 vehicle. The same vehicle was used to successfully launch Space Kids India's Satish Dhawan SAT (SD SAT). JITSAT (Jeppiaar Institute of Technology, Sriperumbudur) and GHRCESAT (G.H.Raisoni College of Engineering, Nagpur) are other Indian satellites launched on PSLV C-51. Sri Shakthi Sat, JITSAT, and GHRCESAT are collectively known as UNITYSat.

Amazonia-1

Amazonia-1 is a Brazilian Earth observation satellite launched by ISRO. It was launched on 28 February 2021 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. Amazonia-1 was successfully placed into orbit along with 18 other satellites on the PSLV C-51 vehicle. This is the 53rd mission of PSLV. It is also the 78th launch vehicle mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota and the first mission of ISRO in 2021. The main mission of Amazonia-1 is to detect deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. Amazonia 1 is the first fully commercial launch of ISRO's commercial arm, New Space India Limited (NSIL). With this mission, ISRO has joined the ranks of space research agencies that launch satellites for a fee.

Vikram-S Rocket

The country's first private rocket, Vikram-S, was successfully launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on November 18, 2022. Vikram S is a rocket manufactured by Skyroot Aerospace in Hyderabad. The project developed a small rocket measuring six meters tall and weighing 545 kilograms. Skyroot was developing three rockets in the Vikram series to put small satellites into low-Earth orbit. The rocket launched a 2.5 kg Funsat and two nano satellites built by students from the US, Singapore and India under the leadership of Space Kids in Chennai.

INSPIRESAT 1

The satellite was built by students from the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology and the University of Atmospheric and Space Physics in Colorado, USA.

Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3 is ISRO's third lunar mission. Like Chandrayaan-2, this is also a robotic space mission. The target of this mission, which includes a rover and a lander, is the polar region of the moon. Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14, 2023. With the landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the lunar surface, India became the fourth country to land/soft land on the Moon after the USA, Russia, and China. India also became the first country to land a spacecraft on the Moon's south pole.

Aditya-L1

India's first mission to study the Sun and its outer rings, Aditya L1, is launched in September 2, 2023. The launch vehicle used is PSLV C57. The spacecraft was placed at Lagrangian Point 1 (L1), 1.5 million km from Earth, to study the Sun. Aditya L1 reached the halo orbit at Lagrangian Point in 2024 January 6. With Aditya-L1 reaching the Lagrangian Point of the Sun-Earth system, India will become the fourth country to achieve this feat. The Lagrangian Point is unique in that it provides uninterrupted view of the Sun at all times. Aditya, which studies the Sun's magnetic field and plasma flow, can also predict the attack of solar gases. The Aditya L1 satellite has seven payloads. The payloads are Visible Line Emission Coronagraph, Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope, Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer, High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer, Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment, Plasma Analyzer Package for Aditya, and Magnetometer.

X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat)

The X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) is a satellite launched by India to study black holes, neutron stars, etc. by observing the extremely powerful X-Ray waves in the universe. India is the second country in the world (the first was the United States) to send a special satellite to study black holes and neutron stars. XPoSat was launched on January 1, 2024. The launch vehicle was PSLV C58.