July 3, 2025

The Unlikely Rise of the Indian Space Program


From REAL ENGINEERING uploaded May 18 2025 HERE.
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Like all space agencies India's ISRO is of dual-use military civilian benefit, particularly in rocket booster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISRO#Launch_vehicles satellite sensors and guidance research. Wikipedia reports https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISRO : 

"The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is India's national space agency, headquartered in BengaluruKarnataka. 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 imagingcommunications 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  ISRO was set up in 1962 by the Government of India. It was renamed as ISRO in 1969.

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 on board the indigenously built launch vehicle 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 the only one of the four governmental space agencies to have demonstrated unmanned soft landing capabilities.[11][c]

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

The arrival of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in 1990s was a major boost for the Indian space programme. With the exception of its first flight in 1994 and two partial failures later, the PSLV had a streak of more than 50 successful flights. The PSLV enabled India to launch all of its low Earth orbit satellites, small payloads to GTO and hundreds of foreign satellites.[32] Along with the PSLV flights, development of a new rocket, a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) was going on. India tried to obtain upper-stage cryogenic engines from Russia's Glavkosmos but was blocked by the US from doing so. As a result, KVD-1 engines were imported from Russia under a new agreement which had limited success[33] and a project to develop indigenous cryogenic technology was launched in 1994, taking two decades to reach fulfillment.[34] A new agreement was signed with Russia for seven KVD-1 cryogenic stages and a ground mock-up stage with no technology transfer, instead of five cryogenic stages along with the technology and design in the earlier agreement.[35] These engines were used for the initial flights and were named GSLV Mk.1.[36] ISRO was under US government sanctions between 6 May 1992 to 6 May 1994.[37] After the United States refused to help India with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology during the Kargil war, ISRO was prompted to develop its own satellite navigation system IRNSS (now NaVIC i.e. Navigation with Indian Constellation) which it is now expanding further.[38]

21st century

In 2003, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee urged scientists to develop technologies to land humans on the Moon[39] and programmes for lunar, planetary and crewed missions were started. ISRO launched Chandrayaan-1 aboard PSLV in 2008, purportedly the first probe to verify the presence of water on the Moon.[40]

ISRO launched the Mars Orbiter Mission (or Mangalyaan) aboard a PSLV in 2013, which later became the first Asian spacecraft to enter Martian orbit, making India the first country to succeed at this on its first attempt.[41]

Subsequently, the cryogenic upper stage for GSLV rocket became operational, making India the sixth country to have full launch capabilities.[42] A new heavier-lift launcher LVM3 was introduced in 2014 for heavier satellites and future human space missions.[43]

On 23 August 2023, India achieved its first soft landing on an extraterrestrial body and became the first nation to successfully land a spacecraft near the lunar south pole and fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon with ISRO's Chandrayaan-3, the third Moon mission.[44] Indian moon mission, Chandrayaan-3 (lit. "Mooncraft"), saw the successful soft landing of its Vikram lander at 6.04 pm IST (12:34 pm GMT) near the little-explored southern pole of the Moon in a world's first for any space programme.[45]

India then successfully launched its first solar probe, the Aditya-L1, aboard a PSLV on 2 September 2023.[46][47]

On 30 December 2024, ISRO successfully launched the SpaDeX mission, pioneering spacecraft rendezvousdocking, and undocking using two small satellites.[48][49] On 16 January 2025, the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network's Mission Operations Complex verified that the docking process was successful. India became the 4th country — after USA, Russia and China — to achieve successful Space Docking.[50][51][52] ISRO also successfully managed to control two satellites as a single entity after docking.[53]

Launch facilities


Future projects

ISRO is developing and operationalising more powerful and less pollutive rocket engines so it can eventually develop much heavier rockets. It also plans space station above earth where astronauts can stay for 15–20 days. The time frame is 5–7 years after Gaganyaan,[150] to develop electric and nuclear propulsion for satellites and spacecraft to reduce their weight and extend their service lives.[190] Long-term plans may include crewed landings on the Moon and other planets as well.[191]"

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

ISRO have also launched a number of satellites for Singapore, including “commercial SAR” birds. https://www.space.gov.sg/latest-news/latest-news/permalink/teleos-2/

Shawn C said...

Hey Pete,

India’s ISRO have also launched two Earth observation satellites for Singapore, with TeLOS 2 equipped with a 1 metre resolution SAR.
https://www.space.gov.sg/latest-news/latest-news/permalink/teleos-2/

Pete2 said...

Hi Anonymous at 7/03/2025 8:18 PM and Shawn at 7/03/2025 8:26 PM

Thanks for https://www.space.gov.sg/latest-news/latest-news/permalink/teleos-2/ concerning the April 2023 launch of a Singaporean TeLEOS-2 750kg polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) satellite from ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR at Sriharikota, India.

At SubMatts see Synthetic Aperture Radar satellites for "Detection of Submarines" https://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2012/08/satellite-detection-of-submarines.html

and the planned NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission in 2025 using an ISRO GSLV launch vehicle at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NISAR_(satellite) :

"The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission is a joint project between NASA and ISRO to co-develop and launch a dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) on an Earth observation satellite in 2025. It will be the first radar imaging satellite to use dual frequencies. It will be used for remote sensing, to observe and understand natural processes on Earth. For example, its left-facing instruments will study the Antarctic cryosphere.[7] With a total cost estimated at US$1.5 billion, NISAR is likely to be the world's most expensive Earth-imaging satellite.[8]"

Cheers Pete

Shawn C said...

Hi Pete,

The anon post was from me, I forgot to log in to Google.

The TeLEOS project is interesting as it shows that Singapore is not depend on US/European space launches, and builds its own satellites and systems, including the SAR in TeLEOS-2.
Granted, TeLEOS-2 is a smallsat, but it’s managed and controlled by ST Engineering, and its orbit enables Singapore to monitor its local region, spotting forest fires, maritime oil pollution and ship collisions.

Pete2 said...

Hi Shawn at 7/05/2025 5:32 PM

Interesting Singapore not depending on US/European space launches. I've read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilmour_Space_Technologies#Founding that Singapore was early on part of Australia's Gilmour Space launcher project, but has since dropped out. Maybe Singapore decided on ISRO instead - as ISRO has a long launching track record.

Does Singapore often suffer forest fires given its majority urban area?
I know that the smoke from regular forest clearance fires on Indonesia's nearby large island of Sumatra blows smoke on Singapore - a health and aviation hazard?

Regards Pete

Shawn C said...

Hi Pete,

Gilmour recently orbited a microsat from a SpaceX launcher, with a CSIRO payload. Their own launch system has not yet flown, but I expect their 215kg payload capacity does not fit Singapore's requirements.

Singapore is a big believer in contingency planning and data fusion, especially sovereign data, so a SARsat completely under Singapore control enables the country to monitor regional issues and plan for contingencies, like how the lessons learnt from the SARS crisis enabled Singapore to build and open a 330-bed infectious diseases hospital six months before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Singapore does have bushfires, as well as fires from ship collisions (last was in December 2024), and the Singapore Air Force can deploy 5,000-litre helibuckets from CH-47F Chinooks, which have been deployed to Indonesia to help with their forest fires and to help alleviate transboundary haze.

Pete2 said...

Hi Shawn at 7/09/2025 6:45 PM

I reckon that the worldwide light/micro to heavy satellite launch business is so dominated by commercial incumbents (eg SpaceX) that Gilmour will long be an uneconomic latecomer. Rather its ultimate uses will be military. Good for LEO "spy" satellites and with boosters presenting a long term option of MRBMs to ICBMs.

Yes Singapore, with data fusion, thinks longterm strategically. Need I say Australia "relies" on 3 year parliamentary term political opportunism - trashing plans and then choosing the dubious AUKUS longshot.

Your Singapore bushfire comments are very interesting. I was wrong in assuming its rainforest would stop drying out, then fires. I suppose 2,400mm per year is only an average - with droughts permitting bushfire? https://www.worlddata.info/asia/singapore/climate.php#:~:text=Singapore%20is%20known%20for%20its%20abundant%20rainfall.%20The,the%20wettest%20months%20are%20from%20November%20to%20January.

Cheers Pete

Shawn C said...

Hi Pete,

Things dry fast in Singapore. A hot period with no rain could create the right conditions in a month, and there’s no public safety awareness about how fires start, unlike Australia, where everyone is taught in grade school.
There were 140 vegetarian fires in 2024.
My had one experience was when performing range safety at a night shoot. The splash from 0.50inch tracer heavy machine gun fire set things alight, and they couldn’t put it out as it was at a firing range, so lots of UXBs around.
Reckon if something similar happened now, they’d activate a Chinook with the bucket.

Shawn C said...

I’m sure having a SAR sat makes things convenient for Singapore, especially for tracking military warships and ghost ships not using AIS ship tracking.

Oh! About the Malaysian patrol vessel that sank in Johore.. it struck a known reef (bad or zero modern navigation systems) then sank as the 45 year old hull was too damaged.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-naval-vessel-sinks-johor-kd-pendekar-navigational-error-4709486

Pete2 said...

Hi Shawn at 7/10/2025 7:09 PM

Indeed firing rages. devoid of 3 level rainforest cover, could dry out fast in equatorial heat. Even unexploded practice shells/bombs and flares could endanger soldiers inexperienced and ill equipped to put out fires.

I fortunately missed a training camp in December 1980, where my unit spent 2 weeks putting out a large bushfire that a tiny little cooking fire had started. And 1980 Aus also wasn't using helos or fixed wing aircraft to put out fires.

Pete2 said...

Hi again Shawn at 7/10/2025 7:18 PM

Australia uses US LEOs and large commercial sats for SAR around its vast coastline.

I imagine Singapore gets a lot of unmarked state based and non-state pirate/smuggler traffic in surrounding waters including the Straits of Malacca.

Thanks for https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-naval-vessel-sinks-johor-kd-pendekar-navigational-error-4709486.
So the Kiwis https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-07/samoa-nz-navy-sinking-hmnzs-manawanui-report/105145692 were not alone amongst regional countries banging into known reefs - partly due to equipment and human error.