India’s initial foray into space research was through INCOSPAR, the forerunner to ISRO, in 1962. Here are some fundamental information about India’s space research, as well as a list of Indian space research centers.
INCOSPAR (Indian National Committee for Space Research) was created in 1962 under the Department of Atomic Energy by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the “father of Indian space program,” Vikram Sarabhai.
In 1963, the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) was created in Thiruvananthapuram for upper atmospheric research. INCOSPAR was succeeded by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in 1969.
The goal was to employ space technology to help the country grow while also conducting space science research and planetary exploration.
In 1972, the Department of Space (DOS) and the Space Commission were established, and on June 1, 1972, ISRO was placed under DOS.
The ISRO created the first Indian satellite, Aryabhata, which was launched on April 19, 1975, with the support of the Soviet Union. India’s second satellite, Bhaskara Sega-I, was likewise launched with Soviet aid.
Rohini was the first Indian satellite to be successfully launched into orbit by SLV-3, an Indian-built launch vehicle, in 1980.
ISRO is currently one of the world’s six major space organizations, with one of the world’s largest fleets of communication (INSAT) and remote sensing (IRS) satellites to meet the ever-increasing need for rapid and dependable communication and earth observation.
India’s space research contribution by ISRO
India aspires to be self-sufficient in space applications, and ISRO has contributed a cost-effective and dependable satellite launch mechanism in the form of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). It is presently utilized by various countries and fosters international space research collaboration.
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) was created to launch bigger and more demanding Geosynchronous communication satellites.
The Department of Space currently has various space research centers and independent institutes for remote sensing, astronomy, astrophysics, atmospheric sciences, and space sciences in general, thanks to ISRO.
ISRO’s lunar and interplanetary missions, as well as other initiatives, continue to provide critical scientific data to the scientific world.
With the development of heavy lift launchers, human spaceflight projects, reusable launch vehicles, semi-cryogenic engines, single and two stage to orbit (SSTO and TSTO) vehicles, and the development and use of composite materials for space applications, ISRO is moving India’s space research into the future.
Private space players in India
In India, the number of space-based applications and the need for them is quickly increasing. Various industries, including agriculture, transportation, urban development, and weather forecasting, are increasingly looking to space technology and data to help them grow their businesses and plan for the future.
As a result, India will enable private enterprises to enter the space sector in 2020.
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACE), an arm of ISRO, was established to level the playing field for commercial actors and to advise and promote them. It will serve as a facilitator as well as a regulator.
All satellite launches in India are being carried out by ISRO rockets based on the PSLV or GLSV.
ISRO would be able to focus on scientific space missions rather than mundane duties like launching weather and communication satellites, thanks to the entry of private enterprises.
List of Indian space research centers
| Indian Space Research Centers & Units | |
|---|---|
| Location | Space Centers |
| New Delhi | DOS branch secretariat |
| ISRO branch office | |
| Delhi earth station | |
| Dehradun | Indian Institute of Remote Sensing |
| Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia-Pacific (CSSTEAP) | |
| Byalalu | Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) |
| Indian Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC) | |
| Lucknow | ISTRAC Ground Station |
| Kolkata | Eastern RRCC |
| Aluva | Ammonium Perchlorate Experimental Plant |
| Bhopal | Master Control Facility-B (MCF) |
| Chandigarh | Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL) |
| Shillong | North Eastern Space Application Centre |
| Hyderabad | NRSA or NRSC – National Remote Sensing Agency /Centre |
| Tirupati | NMRF-National Atmospheric Research Laboratory |
| Sriharikota | Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), SHAR |
| Port Blair | Down Range Station |
| Mahendra Giri | ISRO Propulsion Complex |
| Thiruvananthapuram | Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre |
| Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre | |
| ISRO Inertial Systems Unit | |
| Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) | |
| Hassan | Master Control Facility |
| Banglore | Space Commission |
| Department of Space and ISRO Headquarters | |
| Civil Engineering Programme Office | |
| U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) | |
| Laboratory for Electro-Optical Systems (LEOS) | |
| Southern RRSC | |
| Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) | |
| INSAT Program Office | |
| NNRMS Secretariat- National Natural Resources Management System | |
| Antrix Corporation | |
| ISTRAC-ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network | |
| New Space India Limited (NSIL) | |
| Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre | |
| Mumbai | ISRO Liaison office |
| Nagpur | Central RRSC-Regional Remote Sensing Centre |
| Mount Abu | Infrared Observatory |
| Ahmedabad | Space Application Centre (SAC) |
| Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) | |
| Development & Educational Communication Unit (DECU) | |
| Jodhpur | Western RRSC – Regional Remote Sensing Centre |
| Udaipur | Solar Observatory |
