ISRO

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO )}} is India's national space agency. It operates as the most principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, with the Chairman of ISRO also serving as the chief executive of the DoS.

ISRO has the world's largest constellation of remote-sensing satellites and operates the GAGAN and IRNSS (NavIC) satellite navigation systems. It has sent three missions to the Moon and one to Mars.

ISRO is primarily responsible for space-based operations, space exploration, international space cooperation and the development of related technologies. ISRO is one of the six government space agencies in the world that possess full launch capabilities, the ability to deploy cryogenic engines, the ability to launch extraterrestrial missions and the ability to operate a large fleet of artificial satellites.ISRO is also one of only four governmental space agencies in the world to have soft landing (unmanned) capabilities.

ISRO was formerly known as the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR). It was set up at the behest of the then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at the recommendation of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai in 1962, a prescient scientist. INCOSPAR was renamed ISRO in 1969 and was subsumed into the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). In 1972, the Government of India set up a Space Commission and the DoS, bringing ISRO under its purview.

The establishment of ISRO had institutionalised space research activities in India. It has since then been managed by the DoS, which also governs various other institutions in India in the domain of astronomy and space technology.

ISRO built India's first satellite, Aryabhata, which was launched by the Soviet space agency Interkosmos in 1975. In 1980, ISRO launched satellite RS-1 onboard SLV-3, making India only the seventh country on the planet to undertake orbital launches.

SLV-3 was followed by ASLV, which was subsequently succeeded by the development of many medium-lift launch vehicles, rocket engines, satellite systems and networks enabling the agency to launch hundreds of domestic and foreign satellites and various deep space missions.

ISRO's programmes have played a significant role in the socio-economic development of India and have supported both civilian and military domains in various aspects including disaster management, telemedicine, navigation and reconnaissance missions. ISRO's spin-off technologies have also undergirded many ground-breaking innovations in India's engineering and medical landscapes. Provided by Wikipedia