Aryabhata
Launched on April 19, 1975 by the USSR, Aryabhata was India’s first satellite. Although after 5 days in orbit a power failure led to the loss of all signals, the success of its launch was significant.
Chandrayaan-1
India’s first mission to the Moon was launched on October 22, 2008. The spacecraft orbited the moon at a height of 100 km and the mission concluded in 2009. It led to the discovery of water on the Moon.
Image: ISRO
Mangalyaan
Mangalyaan was India’s first mission to Mars. Launched on November 5, 2013, the mission to the red planet cost India $74 million, 10 times less than what NASA spent on its Mars mission.
Image: ISRO
Chandrayaan-2
Launched on July 22, 2019, Chandrayaan-2 was India’s second lunar mission. It was partially successful as the rover crashed on the Moon’s south pole but its orbiter remains operational and will orbit the Moon for seven years.
Image: ISRO
Chandrayaan-3
Four years after Chandrayaan-2, on August 23, 2023, India became the first country to land a spacecraft on the Moon’s South pole and the fourth to ever land on the Moon.
Image: ISRO
Aditya-L1
On September 2, 2023, India launched its first solar mission. Aditya L1 was successfully inserted in its targeted halo orbit in January 2024. In July 2024, it completed its first halo orbit around the sun.
Image: NASA
Future missions
The ISRO has planned numerous missions from Gaganyaan, India’s first manned mission, to another Mars mission, a Venus exploration mission, a Lunar mission, to building an indigenous space station.
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