Indian Space Research Organisation

The Indian Space Research Organization is the space agency of the Government of India. ISRO is a major constituent of the Department of Space (DOS). The objective of ISRO and DOS is the development and use of space technology for various national needs. Following this objective, ISRO has developed major space systems for communications, broadcasting, meteorological services, resource monitoring and management, space-based navigation services and launched scientific missions to the moon and Mars. ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission landed on the moon on August 23, 2023, making India the fourth nation to successfully perform a soft landing on the lunar surface. In 2022, ISRO had a budget of $1.93B USD, making India the country with the sixth largest national space program. ISRO is the seventh largest space program (including the European Union) by budget.

ISRO was formed on August 15, 1969, superseding its predecessor, the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), with an expanded role to harness space technology. DOS was formed in June 1972, with ISRO brought under DOS in September 1972. The driving force behind the formation of ISRO was Dr. Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai, considered the father of the Indian space program.

India's space policies are formulated by the Space Commission. These policies are implemented by the DOS through ISRO and a number of other organizations, including the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), North Eastern-Space Applications Centre (NE-SAC), SemiConductor Laboratory (SCL), and Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST). ISRO's activities are guided by its chairman, who is also the secretary of DOS and chairman of the Space Commission.

ISRO is headquartered in Bengaluru (also called Bangalore), Karnataka, with its activities spread across various centers and units:

• Launch vehicles are built at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
• Satellites are designed and developed at U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru, Karnataka
• The integration and launch of satellites and launch vehicles are carried out at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh
• Development of liquid stages is carried out at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), in Valiamala, Keralu, and Bengaluru, Karnataka
• Sensors for communication and remote sensing satellites are designed and built at the Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad, Gujarat
• Remote sensing satellite data reception processing and dissemination is entrusted to the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad, Telangana

ISRO also markets Indian space products and services to the world through its commercial wing, Antrix.

ISRO maintains one of the largest fleets of communication (Indian National Satellite System, INSAT) and remote sensing (Indian Remote Sensing, IRS) satellites, that cater to India's growing demand for fast and reliable communication and earth observation, respectively. ISRO has developed the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) and geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV), to place satellites in the required orbits. As of August 2023, ISRO has overseen 124 spacecraft missions, including a Mars orbiter (Mars Orbiter Mission) and three missions to the moon:

• Chandrayaan-1—launched on October 22, 2008, the spacecraft orbited the moon at 100km from the surface, performing chemical, mineralogical, and photo-geologic mapping. Chandrayaan-1 had eleven scientific instruments built in India, USA, UK, Germany, Sweden, and Bulgaria. In May 2009, the orbit was raised to 200km. After more than 3400 orbits, the spacecraft was lost on August 20, 2009.
• Chandrayaan-2—launched on July 22, 2019, the mission consisted of an orbiter, lander, and rover to explore the South Pole region of the moon. The first time a mission was sent to the South Pole of the moon, Chandrayaan-2 aimed to return data on topography, seismography, mineral identification and distribution, surface chemical composition, thermo-physical characteristics of the topsoil, and the composition of the lunar atmosphere. The mission entered lunar orbit on August 20, 2019, and the Vikram Lander separated on September 2, 2019. Communication with Vikram Lander was lost during the landing and was last observed at an altitude of 2.1km.
• Chandrayaan-3—launched on July 14, 2023, the mission (consisting of an orbiter, lander, and rover) entered lunar orbit on August 5, 2023. The lander module separated on August 17, 2023, successfully performing a soft landing on the moon on August 23, 2023. The following day, the Chandrayaan-3 Rover ramped down from the lander onto the lunar surface. The Chandrayaan-3 mission makes India only the fourth nation (after the USA, Russia, and China) to successfully perform a soft landing on the moon.

Alongside developing space technologies, ISRO contributes to science and science education across India. Various dedicated research centers and autonomous institutions for remote sensing, astronomy and astrophysics, atmospheric sciences, and space sciences function under the Department of Space. ISRO's lunar and interplanetary missions, along with other scientific projects, encourage and promote science education and provide valuable data to the scientific community.