INDIAN SPACE PROGRAMME
- Space activities in the country were initiated with the setting up of Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in
- In the same year, work on Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) near Thiruvananthapuram was also started.
- Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was established in August 1969.
- The Government of India constituted the Space Commission and established the Department of Space (DOS) in June 1972 and brought ISRO under DOS in September 1972.
- Antrix Corporation, established in 1992 as a government owned company, markets the space products and services.
- DOS Secretariat and ISRO Headquarters are located at Antariksh Bhavan in Bengaluru.
LAUNCH VEHICLE PROGRAMME
- ISRO’s workhorse Launch Vehicle PSLV, in its ‘XL’ version, placed a Navigation Satellite as well as the Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft into the required orbits during two separate flights – PSLV-C22 and PSLV-C25.
- Activities for the realisation of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark II with indigenous cryogenic upper stage climaxed on 05 January, 2014 when the flight tested the indigenous cryogenic upper stage of GSLV-D5 to place India’s communication satellite GSAT—14 into GTO.
- Activities pertaining to GSLV-Mk III launch vehicle capable of launching four ton satellites are progressing well and the first launch of GSLV-Mk III, an experimental suborbital flight (GSLV—Mk III-X) is on schedule.
SATELLITE PROGRAMME
- IRNSS-IA, the first of the 7 satellites of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) Constellation, was successfully launched on board PSLV-C22 on July 01, 2013.
- IRNSS—IA carries a navigation payload as well as a C-band ranging payload.
- The satellites also carry Corner Cube Retro Reflectors for laser ranging.
- INSAT—3D was launched on July 26, 2013 onboard Ariane—5 from Kourou, French Guiana.
- Subsequent to the successful placement of GSAT-14 in its designated geostationary orbital slot, the satellites being built for meeting the country’s future requirements include IRNSS—IB, IC and ID satellites of Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) constellation, planned to be launched onboard PSLV, GSAT-6 communication satellite to be launched by GSLV and GSAT -15 and GSAT -16 communication satellites planned to be launched by procured launches.
SPACE SCIENCE PROGRAMME
- Mars Orbiter spacecraft is India’s first interplanetary spacecraft as well as the first indegenous spacecraft to planet Mars.
- With a lift—off mass of 1340 kg, the spacecraft carries five payloads — Mars Colour Camera, Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, Methane Sensor for Mars, Lyman Alpha Photometer and Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser.
- Mars Orbiter Mission primarily envisages to demonstrate the technologies for building, launching and navigating an unmanned spacecraft to Mars as well as to explore the planet by placing it in an orbit around that planet.
- The spacecraft was launched by PSLV—C25 on November 05, 2013 from SDSC,
- The space science missions planned for future includes ASTROSAT, a multi-wavelength astronomical observatory in space, aimed at studying the distant celestial sources and scheduled to be launched using PSLV-XL in 2014- 15.
- Chandrayaan-2, a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-I with an Orbiter, Lander and Rover, is to be launched onboard GSLV.
- Aditya-I is a scientific mission for solar studies and carries a coronagraph.
