Space · ISRO

India's space programme was founded in 1969 under Vikram Sarabhai, growing from a modest science effort into one of the world's most cost-effective space agencies — over 130 spacecraft and 100-plus launches, including 400-plus foreign satellites. Milestones stacked up: the first Moon mission Chandrayaan-1 (2008), the Mars Orbiter Mission (2013-14, which reached Mars on the very first attempt), and in August 2023 Chandrayaan-3, which made India the first country to land near the Moon's south pole. The sector was opened to private players in 2020 through the regulator IN-SPACe, and a national space economy of roughly $13 billion has taken shape.

Recent milestones came quickly. In January 2025, the SpaDeX mission made India the fourth nation to master satellite docking in orbit — a key step toward a space station. ISRO marked its 100th launch from Sriharikota, launched the NASA-ISRO NISAR Earth-observation satellite in July 2025, and saw astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla fly to the ISS. The Aditya-L1 solar observatory began returning data.

ISRO's reputation rests on doing more with less. Its workhorse PSLV rocket has launched hundreds of satellites reliably and cheaply, while the heavier GSLV / LVM3 carries big payloads like Chandrayaan and the future crew capsule; launches fly from Sriharikota on the east coast. India's famously low costs — the Mars mission cost less than the Hollywood film Gravity — come from frugal engineering and in-house manufacturing. Since the 2020 opening, a private sector of 400-plus space startups now builds components and small satellites under IN-SPACe and NSIL.

The next chapter is human spaceflight. Gaganyaan — which would make India the fourth country to independently send humans to space — is around 90% ready, with an uncrewed test in 2026 and a crewed flight targeted for 2027. Beyond it, ISRO plans the first module of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2028, a full station by 2035, and a crewed Moon landing by 2040.

The next step is delivering a packed launch manifest with consistent quality — 2025 saw a couple of setbacks, and a growing budget and private sector will help ISRO keep its ~27-missions-a-year pace on track.

Chandrayaan-3 — first at the lunar south pole (2023). 4th nation to master space docking (SpaDeX, 2025). $13 billion space economy. ₹13,416 crore space budget (2025-26). Gaganyaan crewed flight targeted 2027. Sources: ISRO, Department of Space, PIB.