ISRO

Indian Space Research Organisation
Bhāratīya Aṃtarikṣa Anusaṃdhāna Saṃgaṭhana
ISRO Headquarters at Bengaluru
Agency overview
Formed15 August 1969; 55 years ago (1969-08-15)
Preceding agency
TypeGovernment space agency
JurisdictionDepartment of Space
HeadquartersBengaluru, Karnataka
13°2′7″N 77°34′16″E / 13.03528°N 77.57111°E / 13.03528; 77.57111
S. Somanath
Primary spaceports
OwnerGovernment of India
Employees19,247 (as on 1 March 2022)[1]
Annual budgetIncrease ₹13,042 crore (US$1.6 billion) (2024-2025)[2]
Websitewww.isro.gov.in Edit this at Wikidata

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO /ˈɪsroʊ/)[a] is India's national space agency. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister of India, with the Chairman of ISRO also serving as the chief executive of the DoS. It is primarily responsible for space-based operations, space exploration, international space cooperation and the development of related technologies.[3] The agency maintains a constellation of imaging, communication and remote sensing satellites. It operates the GAGAN and IRNSS satellite navigation systems. It has sent three missions to the Moon and one mission to Mars.

Formerly known as the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), it was set up in 1962 by then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on the recommendation of scientist Vikram Sarabhai. It was renamed as ISRO in 1969 and was subsumed into the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).[4] The establishment of ISRO institutionalised space research activities in India.[5][6] In 1972, the Government set up a Space Commission and the DoS, bringing ISRO under its purview. It has since then been managed by the DoS, which also governs various other institutions in the domain of astronomy and space technology.[7]

ISRO built India's first satellite, Aryabhata, which was launched by the Soviet space agency Interkosmos in 1975.[8] In 1980, it launched the satellite RS-1 onboard SLV-3, making India the seventh country to undertake orbital launches. It has subsequently developed various small-lift and medium-lift launch vehicles, enabling the agency to launch various satellites and deep space missions. It is one of the six government space agencies in the world that possess full launch capabilities with the ability to deploy cryogenic engines, launch extraterrestrial missions and artificial satellites.[9][10][b] It is also one of only four governmental space agencies in to have demonstrated unmanned soft landing capabilities.[11][c]

ISRO's programmes have played a significant role in the socio-economic development. It has supported both civilian and military domains in various aspects such as disaster management, telemedicine, navigation and reconnaissance. ISRO's spin-off technologies have also aided in new innovations in engineering and other allied domains.[12]

  1. ^ Annual Report 2022-2023: 3.2 Human Resources (PDF). Department of Space (Report). p. 139. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 January 2024.
  2. ^ name="indiatoday-20240201">"Budget 2024: Isro awarded with a boost, space gets Rs 13,042 crore outlay". India Today. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Indian Space Research Organisation". Archived from the original on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Atomic Energy Commission | Department of Atomic Energy". Government of India. 29 August 2019. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  5. ^ Bhargava & Chakrabarti 2003, pp. 39.
  6. ^ Sadeh 2013, pp. 303-.
  7. ^ "Department of Space and ISRO HQ – ISRO". Indian Space Research Organisation. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Aryabhata – ISRO". Indian Space Research Organisation. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  9. ^ Pulakkat, Hari (9 January 2014). "How ISRO developed the indigenous cryogenic engine". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Archived from the original on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  10. ^ Harvey, Smid & Pirard 2011, pp. 144–.
  11. ^ Mashal, Mujib (24 August 2023). "India's Moon Landing Offers Blueprint For Other Countries Dreaming Big". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  12. ^ "ISRO forms new commercial arm to exploit technology, launch satellites". The Hindu Business Line. 28 June 2019. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.


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