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ISRO full form is Indian Space Research Organization. It is an Indian space agency owned by the government of India and has its headquarters in the Bengaluru Region. The aim of ISRO is to develop space exploration programs for national growth while researching space science & planet exploration.
History of ISRO
In 1962 under the DAE (Department of Atomic Energy), Jawarharlal Nehru, the then PM of India established The Indian National Space Research Committee (INCOSPAR) with the instant recognition of the need for space research by the scientist Vikram Sarabhai. Then, In 1969 INCOSPAR developed under DAE and became ISRO.
In 1972 the GoI established a Space Commission and Space Department including ISRO under it. Though ISRO introduced space exploration activities in India, it is regulated by the DOS and reports to the Prime Minister of India.
Operation Centers of ISRO
There are multiple centers through which ISRO works. Each center is responsible for different jobs.
- Ahmedabad Space Applications Centre is responsible for building sensors and payloads.
- Bangalore’s U R Rao Satellite Center or ISRO center is responsible for designing, producing, installing, and testing satellites.
- Thiruvananthapuram Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre is responsible for building launch vehicles.
- Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota Island, near Chennai, is responsible for performing launches.
- Hasana and Bhopal Master Control Facilities have geostationary satellite stations.
- Hyderabad National Remote Sensing Centre provides facilities that collect and store remote sensing data.
- Antrix Corporation situated in Bangalore is the commercial arm of ISRO.
Achievements of ISRO
Several space systems for telecommunications, television broadcasting, Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites, including the Indian National Satellite System (INSAT), meteorology, and disaster warning, are some of the space systems launched by ISRO that help track and control resources.
ISRO launched its first satellite Aryabhata (19 April 1975)with the help of Soviet Union. This was followed by more advanced satellites, like RISAT-1 (Radar Imaging Satellite-1, 2012) and SARAL (2013), a joint Indian-French mission that helped measure the height of ocean waves.
First INSAT was launched in 1988, which further extended and gave the geosynchronous satellites named GSAT. Rohini (18 July 1980), was launched in space by an Indian-made launch vehicle.
Some recent achievements of ISRO include:
- PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle): Placed a satellite into polar orbits.
- GSLV (Geostationary Space Launch Vehicle): Placed satellites into geostationary orbit.
- LVM or GSLV Mark III: GSLV Heavy-Lifting Version.
- Missions to Moon: Chandrayaan-1 (2008) and Chandrayaan-2 (2019).
- Mars: Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM, 2013) and MOM-2 (in progress).
- Astronauts: Plans to introduce astronauts into space by 2021.