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Milestones in India’s Space Programme

1962

Indian  National  Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) formed by the Department of Atomic Energy  and work on establishing  Thumba Equatorial Rocket  Launching Station (TERLS) started.

1963

First sounding rocket launched from TERLS
(November 21, 1963).

1965

Space Science & Technology Centre (SSTC) established in Thumba.

1967

Satellite Telecommunication Earth Station set up at Ahmedabad.

1968

TERLS dedicated to the United Nations (February 2, 1968).

1969

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) formed under Department of Atomic Energy (August 15, 1969).

1972

Space Commission and Department of Space set up
(June 1, 1972). ISRO brought under DOS.

1972-1976

Air-borne remote sensing experiments.

1975

Becomes Government Organisation (April 1, 1975).


ISRO First Indian Satellite, Aryabhata, launched (April 19, 1975).

1975-1976

Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) conducted.

1977

Satellite Telecommunication Experiments Project (STEP) carried out.

1979

Bhaskara-I, an experimental satellite for earth observations, launched (June 7, 1979).


First Experimental launch of SLV-3 with Rohini Technology Payload on board (August  10, 1979). Satellite could not be placed in orbit.

1980

Second Experimental launch of SLV-3, Rohini satellite successfully placed in orbit. (July 18, 1980).

1981

First developmental launch of SLV-3.


RS-D1 placed in orbit (May 31, 1981)

 

APPLE, an experimental geo-stationary communication satellite successfully launched (June 19, 1981).

 


Bhaskara-II launched (November 20, 1981).

1982

INSAT-1A launched (April 10, 1982).
Deactivated on September 6, 1982.

1983

INSAT-1B, launched (August 30, 1983).


Second developmental launch of SLV-3. RS-D2 placed in orbit (April 17, 1983).

1984

Indo-Soviet manned space mission (April 1984).

1987

First developmental launch of ASLV with SROSS-1 satellite on board (March 24, 1987). Satellite could not be placed in orbit.

1988

Launch of first operational Indian Remote Sensing Satellite, IRS-1A (March 17, 1988).


Second developmental launch of ASLV with SROSS-2 on board (July 13, 1988). Satellite could not be placed in orbit.


INSAT-1C launched (July 21, 1988). Abandoned in November 1989.

1990

INSAT-1D launched (June 12, 1990).

1991

Second operational Remote Sensing satellite, IRS-1B, launched (August 29, 1991).

1992

Third developmental launch of ASLV with SROSS-C on board (May 20, 1992). Satellite placed in orbit.


INSAT-2A,   the first satellite of the indigenously-built second-generation INSAT series, launched (July 10, 1992).

1993

INSAT-2B, the second satellite in the INSAT-2 series, launched (July 23, 1993).


Developmental launch of PSLV with IRS-1E on board (September 20, 1993). Satellite could not be placed in orbit.

1994

Fourth developmental launch of ASLV with SROSS-C2 on board (May 4, 1994). Satellite placed in orbit.


Second developmental launch of PSLV with IRS-P2 on board (October 15, 1994). Satellite successfully placed in polar sunsynchronous orbit.

1995

INSAT-2C, the third satellite in the INSAT-2 series, launched (December 7, 1995).


Launch of third operational Indian Remote Sensing Satellite, IRS-1C (December 28, 1995).

1996

Third developmental launch of PSLV with IRS-P3 on board (March 21, 1996). Satellite placed in polar sunsynchronous orbit.

1997

First operational launch of PSLV with IRS-1D on board
(September 29, 1997). Satellite placed in orbit.
(An in-orbit satellite, ARABSAT-1C, since renamed INSAT-2DT, was acquired in November 1997 to partly augment the INSAT system).


INSAT-2D, fourth satellite in the INSAT series, launched (June 4, 1997). Becomes inoperable on October 4, 1997.

1998

INSAT system capacity augmented with the readiness of INSAT-2DT acquired from ARABSAT (January 1998).

1999

INSAT-2E, the last satellite in the multipurpose INSAT-2 series, launched by Ariane from Kourou French Guyana, (April 3, 1999).


Indian Remote Sensing Satellite, IRS-P4 (OCEANSAT), launched by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C2) along with Korean KITSAT-3 and German DLR-TUBSAT from Sriharikota (May 26, 1999).

2000

INSAT-3B, the first satellite in the third generation INSAT-3 series, launched by Ariane from Kourou French Guyana,
(March 22, 2000).

2001

The first developmental launch of GSLV-D1 with GSAT-1 on board from Sriharikota (April 18, 2001)


ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C3, successfully launched three satellites — Technology Experiment Satellite (TES) of ISRO, BIRD of Germany and PROBA of Belgium – into their intended orbits (October 22, 2001).

2002

Successful launch of INSAT-3C by Ariane from Kourou French Guyana, (January 24, 2002).


ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C4, successfully launched KALPANA-1 satellite from Sriharikota(September 12, 2002).

2003

Successful launch of INSAT-3A by Ariane from Kourou French Guyana, (April 10, 2003).


The Second developmental launch of GSLV-D2 with GSAT-2 on board from Sriharikota (May 8, 2003).

 


Successful launch of INSAT-3E by Ariane from Kourou French Guyana, (September 28, 2003).


ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C5, successfully launched RESOURCESAT-1 (IRS-P6) satellite from Sriharikota(October 17, 2003).

2004

The first operational flight of GSLV (GSLV-F01) successfully launched EDUSAT from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota (September 20, 2004)

2005

ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C6, successfully launched CARTOSAT-1 and HAMSAT satellites from Sriharikota(May 5, 2005).


Successful launch of INSAT-4A by Ariane from Kourou French Guyana, (December 22, 2005).

2006

Second operational flight of GSLV (GSLV-F02) from SDSC SHAR with INSAT-4C on board. (July 10, 2006). Satellite could not be placed in orbit.

2007

ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C7 successfully launches four satellites – India’s CARTOSAT-2 and Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-1) and Indonesia’s LAPAN-TUBSAT and Argentina’s PEHUENSAT-1 (January 10, 2007).


Successful recovery of SRE-1 after maneuvering it to reenter the earth’s atmosphere and descend over the Bay of Bengal about 140 km east of Sriharikota (January 22, 2007).

 


Successful launch of INSAT-4B by Ariane-5 from Kourou French Guyana, (March 12, 2007).


ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C8, successfully launched Italian astronomical satellite, AGILE from Sriharikota (April 23, 2007).


Successful launch of GSLV (GSLV-F04) with INSAT-4CR on board from SDSC SHAR (September 2, 2007).

2008

PSLV-C10 successfully launches TECSAR satellite under a commercial contract with Antrix Corporation (January 21, 2008).


PSLV-C9 successfully launches CARTOSAT-2A, IMS-1 and 8 foreign nano satellites from Sriharikota (April 28, 2008).


PSLV-C11 successfully launches CHANDRAYAAN-1 from Sriharikota (October 22, 2008).