Indian Space Research Organization’s History, Objective and Achievements

ISRO Full Form: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was formed in 1969 with a vision to develop and harness space technology in national development while pursuing planetary exploration and space science research. The goal is to develop space exploration for national growth while researching space science & planet exploration. ISRO is one of the world’s biggest Space Agencies. ISRO has successfully shown the world its unique and cost-effective technologies over and over again and has gained place among the elite space agencies in the world. All the launches take place at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Sriharikota Island, near Chennai. Today we will be looking at the history, Objective and some achievements of Indian Space Research Organization.

History Of ISRO

As we know by now that ISRO was formed in 1969. The first Indian satellite was Aryabhata. It was built by the ISRO and launched with the help of the Soviet Union on April 19, 1975. In the year 1980, Rohini was launched, it was the first satellite to be successfully placed in orbit by SLV-3, which was an Indian made launch vehicle. ISRO has time and again proved that it completely stand by the vision to ‘harness space technology for national development. On May 20, 1992, ISRO launched Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) & Insat – 2A. Former Indian President and Missile scientist Late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had headed the SLV-3 project at ISRO and later moved to DRDO to direct India’s missile programme.

Operation Centers of ISRO

ISRO works through a regional network of centres. Check out the location of ISRO’s Operation Centers.

• All the sensors and payloads are built at the Ahmedabad Space Applications Centre.
• Satellites are designed, produced and tested in Bangalore’s U R Rao Satellite Center or ISRO centre.
• Launch vehicles are built in the Thiruvananthapuram Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.
• Launches are performed at Sriharikota Island, near Chennai, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
• At Hasana and Bhopal Master Control Facilities for geostationary satellite stations are located.
• Facilities for collecting and storing remote sensing data are situated at the Hyderabad National Remote Sensing Centre.
• The commercial arm of ISRO is Antrix Corporation, whose headquarters are in Bangalore.

Objectives Of ISRO

The prime objective of ISRO is to use space technology and its application to various national tasks. ^{The Indian space programme was driven by the vision of Vikram Sarabhai, who is considered the father of the Indian space programme.}

• Mass communication and education via satellite.
• ISRO frequently survey and management of natural resources through remote sensing technology, environmental monitoring and meteorological forecasting.
• Development of indigenous satellites and satellite launch vehicles.

Achievements Of ISRO

The Indian Space Research Organisation has been giving many proud moments to our country by showcasing its space prowess and innovation. ISRO’s achievements over the years have created standard par excellence for other government agencies as well. Let’s look at some of ISRO’s achievements over the years.

• In the year 2017, ISRO created a world record by launching 104 satellites in a single mission.
• In the year 2014, Thanks to ISRO India became the first country to successfully reach Mars in its first attempt. The Mars Orbiter Mission or MOM had a budget of just Rs. 450 crores.
• Launched by ISRO, INSAT is a series of multipurpose geostationary satellites. It helps is telecommunications, broadcasting, meteorology, and rescue operations.
• ISRO launched GSLV-MK3 in December 2014, which has an Indian made crew capsule. It can carry up to three astronauts to space. ISRO’s manned space mission, Gaganyaan is planned for its first test flight in 2021.
• On October 22, 2008, ISRO launched a 312-day unmanned lunar mission. It was India’s first mission to the moon and was also a path-breaking space mission. ISRO became one of the only six space organisations to attempt this.

ISRO continues to work on various space missions, satellite launches, and research projects to further expand India’s space capabilities. It collaborates with international space agencies and organizations, contributing to global space research and exploration.