The Indian Space Research Organisation:Looking forward for its rightful place

13 Feb ,New Delhi
“The Indian Space Research Organisation” (ISRO) is the country’s national space agency under the Department of Space, Govt. of India. The primary objective of ISRO is to develop space technology and enable its application to accelerate national development. Satellites designed, developed, built, launched and maintained by ISRO are playing a vital role in many important sectors like telecommunications, TV broadcasting, meteorological observation, natural resources survey and monitoring. The indigenous launch vehicles PSLV and GSLV have launched many operational satellites to orbit.
With the successful Mars Orbit Insertion of Mars Orbiter Spacecraft on September 24, 2014, ISRO became the fourth Space Agency to successfully send a spacecraft to Mars and the first Nation in the world to do so in its first attempt. The successful launch of first experimental flight of India’s future heavy capacity launcher GSLV Mk III, also known as LVM-3, on December 18, 2014, which carried Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment (CARE) as its payload, marked India’s progress towards self-reliance in launching four ton class of communication satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C26) successfully launched India’s third navigational satellite IRNSS-1C, from Sriharikota on October 16, 2014. French Remote Sensing Satellite SPOT-7 and four more co-passenger satellites from Canada, Germany and Singapore were successfully launched using PSLV-C23. India’s new communication satellite GSAT-16 was successfully put into orbit on December 07, 2014 from French, Guiana. The year 2014 also saw the successful flight testing of GSLV’s indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage, with the successful launch of GSLV-D5 placing the GSAT-14 communication satellite into its intended orbit.
Several major space missions are planned during 2015 which include next flight of Geo Synchronous Launch Vehicle GSLV-D6 with Indigenous Cryogenic Stage to launch GSAT-6 communication satellite, launch of Astronomical Satellite ASTROSAT, GSAT-15 communication satellite, four more navigational satellites and two commercial launches of PSLV.

In the years to come, India will look forward to sustain its rightful place amongst leading space faring nations while pursuing its vision of harnessing space technology for national development and expanding knowledge in space science research and planetary exploration.

Future directions of Indian Space programme include operational services in satellite based communications and navigation, Development and operationalisation of heavy lift launcher for self-reliance in launching 4 Ton class of satellites, Enhanced imaging capability for natural resource management, weather and climate change studies, Space science missions to better understand the solar system and universe, Planetary exploratory missions, Reusable launch vehicles – technology demonstrator missions, development of critical technology human spaceflight and Space Applications towards good governance and National development.
( A PIB feature)