Indian Space Research Agency

The Indian Space Research Organization ISRO /ˈɪsroʊ/) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bangalore. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS), which is directly supervised by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman of ISRO also acts as the executive of DOS. ISRO is India's lead agency for undertaking tasks related to space-based applications, space exploration and development of related technologies. It is one of the six governmental space agencies in the world possessing full launch capabilities, cryogenic engine development, launching orbital missions and operating large fleets of artificial satellites.

India's National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was established by Jawaharlal Nehru under the Department of Atomic Energy (DEA) in 1962, at the urging of scientist Vikram Sarabhai, recognizing the need for space research. INCOSPAR grew to become ISRO in 1969, within DEA. By 1972, the Government of India had established a Space Commission and Department of Space (DOS), bringing ISRO to DOS. The establishment of ISRO thus institutionalized space research activities in India. Since then it has been administered by the DOS, which governs various other institutions in India in the domain of astronomy and space technology.

ISRO built India's first satellite, Aryabhata, which was launched by the Soviet Union on April 19, 1975. In 1980, ISRO launched the RS-1 satellite aboard its own SLV-3, which it made India the sixth country capable of orbital launches. SLV-3 was followed by ASLV, which was subsequently succeeded by the development of many medium-lift launch vehicles, rocket engines, satellite systems, and networks that enable the agency to launch hundreds of domestic and foreign satellites and various space missions. deep for space exploration.

ISRO was the world's first space agency to confirm the existence of water molecules on the moon's surface. It has the world's largest constellation of remote-sensing satellites and operates two satellite navigation systems, GAGAN and NAVIC. He has sent two missions to the Moon and one to Mars.

Goals in the near future include expanding the satellite fleet, landing a rover on the Moon, sending humans into space, developing a semi-cryogenic engine, sending more unmanned missions to the Moon, Mars, Venus and the Sun and the deployment of more space telescopes into orbit to observe cosmic phenomena and into outer space beyond the solar system. Long-term plans include the development of reusable launchers, heavy and super-heavy launch vehicles, deployment of a space station, sending exploration missions to outer planets such as Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, also to asteroids, and manned missions to the Moon and planets.

ISRO's programs have played an important role in India's socio-economic development and have supported both civil and military domains in various aspects including disaster management, telemedicine, navigation and reconnaissance missions. ISRO-derived technologies have also founded many crucial innovations for the Indian engineering and medical industries.

History

Formative Years

A Arcas rocket loaded into the launch tube at Thumba launch station. In the early days of ISRO, rocket parts were often transported on bicycles and cars thrown by oxen.

Modern space research in India dates back to the 1920s, when scientist S.K. Mitra conducted a series of experiments that led to the sounding of the ionosphere by applying terrestrial radio methods in Calcutta. Indian scientists like C.V. Raman and Meghnad Saha contributed to the scientific principles applicable in the space sciences. However, it was the period after 1945 that important advances were made in coordinated space research in India. Organized space research in India was spearheaded by two scientists: Vikram Sarabhai, founder of the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, and Homi Bhabha, who established the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in 1945. Early experiments in space sciences included the study of radiation cosmic, high-altitude and airborne testing, underground experimentation at the Kolar mines, one of the world's deepest mining sites, and studies of the upper atmosphere. The studies were carried out in research laboratories, universities and independent locations.

In 1950, the Department of Atomic Energy was founded with Bhabha as secretary. The department provided funding for space research throughout India. During this time, tests continued on aspects of meteorology and the magnetic field of the Earth, a subject that was being studied in India since the establishment of the observatory at Colaba in 1823. In 1954, the Uttar Pradesh State Observatory was established in the foothills of the Himalayas. The Rangpur Observatory was established in 1957 at the University from Osmania, Hyderabad. The Indian government further encouraged space research. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 and opened up possibilities for the rest of the world to launch into space.

The Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was created in 1962 by Prime Minister Nehru at the behest of Vikram Sarabhai. Initially there was no ministry dedicated to the space program and all INCOSPAR activities related to space technology continued to function within the DEA. H.G.S. Murthy was appointed as the first director of the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launch Station. Sounding rockets were fired from the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launch Station, marking the start of upper atmosphere research in India. developed an indigenous series of sounding rockets called Rohini and began to be launched from 1967 onwards.

1970s and 1980s

Under the administration of Indira Gandhi, INCOSPAR was succeeded by ISRO. Later in 1972, a space commission and Department of Space (DOS) were established to oversee the development of space technology in India specifically and ISRO was incorporated into DOS, institutionalizing space research in India and forging the space program. Indian in its current form.

India joined the Soviet Interkosmos program for space cooperation and launched its first Aryabhatta satellite into orbit via a Soviet rocket.

Efforts to develop an orbital launch vehicle began after mastering sounding rocket technology. The concept was to develop a launcher capable of providing enough velocity at a mass of 35 kilograms to enter Low Earth Orbit (LEO). It took ISRO 7 years to develop a satellite launch vehicle capable of putting 40 kilograms into a 400 kilometer orbit. The SLV launch pad, ground stations, tracking networks, radars, and other communications were set up for the launch campaign. Its first launch in 1979 carried a payload of Rohini technology but was unable to inject satellites into its desired orbit. It was followed by a successful launch in 1980 with the Rohini Series I satellite, making India the seventh country to reach Earth orbit after the USSR, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, China and Japan. RS-1 was the third Indian satellite to reach orbit, as Bhaskara had been launched from the USSR in 1979. Efforts had been made to develop a medium-lift launch vehicle capable of putting 600-kilogram-class spacecraft on a A 1000 km sun-synchronous orbit already began in 1978 which would later lead to the development of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). SLV-3 later had two more launches before being discontinued in 1983. The Center for Liquid Propulsion Systems ISRO's (LPSC) was established in 1985 and began work on a more powerful Vikas engine based on the French Viking. In 1987, facilities for testing liquid-fueled rocket engines were established and development and testing of various rocket engine boosters.

In parallel, another solid fuel Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket based on SLV-3 was being developed with technologies for launching satellites into geostationary orbit. ASLV met with limited success and multiple launch failures were soon put on hold. Additionally, technologies for India's National Satellite System for communications satellites and India's Remote Sensing Program for Earth observation satellites were developed. and releases from abroad began. The number of satellites eventually expanded, and the systems became established among the world's largest satellite constellations with a number of multi-band communications, radar imaging, optical imaging, and weather satellites.

1990s and early 21st century

The arrival of PSLV in the 1990s became a major boost for the Indian space program. With the exception of its first flight in 1994 and two partial failures later, the PSLV had a streak of more than 50 successful flights. PSLV enabled India to launch all of its LEO satellites, small payloads to GTOs, and hundreds of foreign satellites. Along with the PSLV flights, a new rocket called the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) was being developed. India attempted to obtain cryogenic upper stage engines from the Russian Glavkosmos, but was prevented from doing so by the United States. As a result, KVD-1 engines were imported from Russia under a new agreement which met with limited success and a project to develop indigenous cryogenic technology was launched in 1994, which took two decades to mature. A new agreement was signed with Russia for 7 KVD-1 cryogenic stages and 1 ground mockup stage without technology transfer, instead of 5 cryogenic stages together with technology and design under the previous agreement. These engines were used for the initial flights and were designated GSLV Mk.1. ISRO was under United States government sanctions between May 6, 1992 and May 6, 1994.

After the US refused to help India with Global Positioning System (GPS) during the Kargil war, ISRO was induced to develop its own IRNSS satellite navigation system, which is now being expanded even more.

In 2003, when China sent humans into space, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee urged scientists to develop technologies to land humans on the Moon, and soon there were Indian programs to send missions to the Moon, other planets and send humans into space ISRO launched Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 which was the world's first probe to verify the presence of water on the Moon and the Mars Orbiter Mission in 2013 which was the first Asian spacecraft to enter Martian orbit and India was the first country to do so on its first attempt. Subsequently, the cryogenic upper stage for the GSLV rocket was put into operation, making India the sixth country to have full launch capabilities and a new launcher was introduced in 2014. heavier payload GSLV Mk III for heavier satellites and manned space missions. Since then, development of larger rockets, more advanced satellites, and spacecraft has continued.

Agency logo

ISRO did not have an official logo unlike other space agencies until 2002. The adopted logo consisted of an upturned orange hovercraft attached to two blue satellite panels with the ISRO name written in two sets of text. One in orange in Devanagari on the left side and one in blue in English with Prakrta font.

Goals and objectives

Vikram Sarabhai, first president of INCOSPAR, who would later be called ISRO

ISRO is the national space agency of India for the purpose of all space-based applications like reconnaissance and communications and research. It is responsible for the design and development of space rockets, satellites, explores the upper atmosphere and deep space exploration missions. ISRO has also incubated its technologies in India's private space sector fueling its growth. The Indian space program was founded and driven by the vision of Vikram Sarabhai, considered the father of the Indian space program. As he said in 1969:

There are those who question the relevance of space activities in a developing nation. For us, there is no ambiguity of purpose. We do not have the fantasy of competing with economically advanced nations in the exploration of the Moon or planets or manned space flights. But we are convinced that if we want to play a significant role at the national level and in the community of nations, we must be insurmountable in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society we find in our country. And we must point out that the application of sophisticated technologies and methods of analysis to our problems should not be confused with embarking on great schemes, whose main impact is more to show that for progress measured in strict economic and social terms.

Former Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said:

Many people with myopic vision questioned the relevance of space activities in a newly independent nation that was having difficulties feeding its population. But neither Prime Minister Nehru nor Professor Sarabhai had ambiguity of purpose. His vision was very clear: if the Indians were to play a significant role in the community of nations, they should be insurmountable in the application of advanced technologies to their real life problems. They did not intend to use it simply as a means to show our power.

India's economic progress has made its space program more visible and active as the country aims for greater self-reliance in space technology.

Organizational structure and facilities

The organizational structure of the Department of Space of the Government of India

ISRO is administered by the Department of Space (DoS) of the Government of India. The DoS itself is under the authority of the Space Commission and manages the following agencies and institutes:

• Indian Space Research Organization
• Antrix Corporation: the ISRO marketing arm, Bangalore
• Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad
• National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), Gadanki, Andhra Pradesh
• NewSpace India Limited - Commercial wing, Bangalore
• Northeast Space Application Centre (NE-SAC), Umiam
• Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Mohali
• Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram - Indian Space University

Launch Vehicles

Comparison of Indian carrier rockets. From left to right: SLV, ASLV, PSLV, GSLV, GSLV Mark III

During the 1960s and 1970s, India initiated its own launch vehicles due to geopolitical and economic considerations. In the 1960s and 1970s, the country developed a sounding rocket, and by the 1980s, research had produced the more advanced Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 and the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV), with supporting operational infrastructure. ISRO further applied its energies to advancing launch vehicle technology, resulting in the realization of the highly successful PSLV and GSLV vehicles.

Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV)

Seal representing SLV-3 D1 carrying the RS-D1 satellite to orbit

The Satellite Launch Vehicle (known as SLV-3) was the first space rocket developed by India. The initial launch in 1979 was a failure followed by a successful launch in 1980 which ushered India into the club of countries with orbital launch capabilities. The development of larger rockets was pushed forward thereafter.

Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV)

The Advanced or Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) was another small launch vehicle made in the 1980s to develop the technologies needed to place satellites into geostationary orbit. ISRO did not have sufficient funds to develop ASLV and PSLV at the same time. Since ASLV suffered repeated failures, it was abandoned in favor of a new project.

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

The PSLV-C11 takes off with Chandrayaan-1, the first Indian mission to the moon.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or PSLV is India's first medium elevation launch vehicle which enabled India to launch all its remote sensing satellites into a Sun-synchronous orbit. The PSLV failed on its maiden launch in 1993. Apart from two other partial failures, PSLV has become ISRO's main workhorse with more than 50 launches putting hundreds of Indian and foreign satellites into orbit.

Summary of decades of PSLV releases:

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)

GSLV-F08 launches GSAT-6A to geostationary transfer orbit (2018).

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) was envisioned in the 1990s to transfer major payloads to geostationary orbit. ISRO initially had a big problem in the development of GSLV as the development of CE-7.5 in India took a decade. The United States had prevented India from obtaining cryogenic technology from Russia, prompting India to develop its own cryogenic engines.

Summary of decades of GALV releases:

GSLV Mark III

GSLV Mk III D1 moves from the assembly building to the launch platform

The Mark III Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mk III), also known as LVM3, is the heaviest rocket in operational service with ISRO. Equipped with a cryogenic engine and more powerful thrusters than GSLV, it has a significantly higher payload capacity and enables India to launch all of its communication satellites. LVM3 is expected to carry India's first manned mission into space and it will be the test bed for the SCE-200 engine that will power India's heavy-lift rockets in the future.

Summary of decades of GSLV Mark III releases:

Human Space Flight Program

The first proposal to send humans into space was discussed at ISRO in 2006, which subsequently led to the start of work on the required spacecraft and infrastructure. Testing for manned space missions began in 2007 with the Experiment 600 kg Space Capsule Recovery (SRE) vehicle, launched with the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket and safely returned to earth 12 days later.

In 2009, the Indian Space Research Organization proposed a budget of ₹124 billion for its human spaceflight programme. An uncrewed demonstration flight was expected after seven years from final approval and a crewed mission to be launched after seven years of funding. The crewed mission was initially not a priority and was put on the back burner for several years. A space capsule recovery experiment in 2014 and a pad abort test in 2018 were followed by Prime Minister Modi's announcement in the Independence Day speech on 15 August 2018 that India will send astronauts into space by 2022 on the new Gaganyaan spacecraft. To date, ISRO has developed most of the necessary technologies, such as the crew module and crew escape system, space food, and life support systems. The project would cost less than ₹100 billion and would include sending 2-3 Indians into space, 300-400 kilometers up in a spacecraft for at least seven days using a GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle.

Manned Spaceship

ISRO is working towards an orbital manned spacecraft that can operate for seven days in low-Earth orbit. The spacecraft, named Gaganyaan, will be the basis of India's Human Space Flight Programme. The spacecraft is being developed to carry up to three people, and a planned upgraded version will be equipped with a rendezvous and docking capability. On its first manned mission, ISRO's largely autonomous 3-tonne spacecraft will orbit Earth at 400km altitude for up to seven days with a two-person crew on board. Starting in February 2021, the manned mission is planned to be launched on ISRO's GSLV Mk III in 2023.

Space Station

India plans to build a space station as a follow-up program to the Gaganyaan mission. ISRO Chairman K. Sivan has said that India will not join the International Space Station program and will instead build a 20-tonne space station on its own. low ground at an altitude of 400 kilometers and is capable of housing three humans for 15-20 days. The approximate timeframe is five to seven years after the completion of the Gaganyaan project.

Planetary sciences and astronomy

There is a national balloon launch facility in Hyderabad jointly supported by TIFR and ISRO. This facility has been used extensively to conduct research in high-energy astronomy (i.e., X-ray and gamma-ray), infrared astronomy, mid-atmospheric trace constituents including CFCs and aerosols, ionization, electrical conductivity, and electrical fields.

The flux of secondary particles and X-rays and gamma rays of atmospheric origin produced by the interaction of cosmic rays is very low. This low background, in the presence of which one has to detect the faint signal from cosmic sources, is a great advantage in making hard X-ray observations from India. The second advantage is that many bright sources like Cygnus X-1, Crab Nebulase, Scorpius X-1 and the Galactic Center sources are observable from Hyderabad due to its favorable declination. With these considerations, an X-ray astronomy group was formed at TIFR in 1967 and development of an instrument with a steerable X-ray telescope for hard X-ray observations was undertaken. The first balloon flight with the new instrument was made on April 28, 1968 in which observations of Scorpius X-1 were carried out successfully. In a succession of balloon flights made with this instrument between 1968 and 1974, several binary X-ray sources, including Cygnus X-1 and Hercules X-1, and the cosmic X-ray diffuse background were studied. Many new and astrophysically important results were obtained from these observations.

Astrosat-1 in deployed configuration

ISRO was involved in the discovery of three species of bacteria in the upper stratosphere at an altitude between 20 and 40 kilometers (12.4-24.9 miles). The bacteria, highly resistant to ultraviolet radiation, are not found anywhere else on Earth, leading to speculation that they are of extraterrestrial origin. All three of these bacteria can be considered extremophiles. The bacteria were named Bacillus Isronensis in recognition of ISRO's contribution to the balloon experiments, which led to their discovery, Bacillus aryabhata after the celebrated ancient astronomer of the India Aryabhata and Janibacter hoylei in honor of distinguished astrophysicist Fred Hoyle.

Astrosat

Launched in 2015, Astrosat is India's first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory. His observational study includes active galactic nuclei, hot white dwarfs, pulsar pulsars, binary star systems, and supermassive black holes located at the center of the galaxy.

Alien exploration

Moon Exploration

Chandryaan (lit. 'Moon Craft') are the series of lunar exploration spacecraft from India. The initial mission included an orbiter and impact probes, while additional missions include landers, rovers, and sampling missions as well.

Statistics

Last update: March 4, 2021

• Total number of foreign satellites launched by ISRO: 342 (35 countries)
• Missions of spacecraft: 117
• Launch missions: 77
• Student Satellites: 10
• Re-entry missions: 2

The Chandrayaan-1 (original configuration)

Space technological capacity

• Follow-up stations: Yes.
• Launch centers: Yes.
• Satellite manufacturing: Yes.
• Autonomous orbital launches: Yes.
• Interplanetary ships: Yes.
• Space stations: No.
• Aircraft: No.

Programs running

• Chandrayan-1
• Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
• Mars Orbiter Mission