Friday, 23 AUGUST 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
As the nation is celebrating the first National Space Day it is worth remembering the country’s space ambition and achievement. India’s space exploration has travelled a long and eventful way since the country’s space research started in 1962. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), helmed by the eminent physicist and astronomer Vikram Sarabhai-hailed as the ‘Father of India’s Space Research’-initiated the country’s space research. The Aryabhata spacecraft- India’s first satellite named after the famous Indian astronomer- was launched in April 1975. Completely designed and fabricated in India, it was launched by a Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket from Kapustin Yar. 1TT
It was followed by the launch of the country’s first experimental satellite launch vehicle-the Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 (SLV-3). Launched in July 1980 from the Sriharikota Range (SHAR), it put the Rohini satellite RS-1 successfully into orbit and made India the sixth country to join the space-faring nations. Then came another stellar achievement for India’s space ambition. It was the launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). And Chadrayaan mission marks the pinnacle of achievement for ISRO.
