INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION

The Indian Space Research Organisation is an independent Indian governmental agency. It was established in 1969 for the research and development of vehicles and activities for the exploration of space within and outside of Earth's atmosphere.

Head quartered in Bangalore, Isro chief executive is also chairman of the Indian government's Space Commission and the secretary of the Department of Space. ISROs first satellite, Arya bhatta, was launched by the Soviet Union in 1975. Rohini, the first satellite to be placed in orbit by an Indian-made launch vehicle was launched in 1980.

ISRO subsequently developed two other rockets: the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle for putting satellites into polar orbit and the Geo stationary Space Launch Vehicle for placing satellites into geo stationary orbit. These rockets have launched communications, Earth-observation satellites, and, in 2008, Chandrayaan-1, India's first mission to the Moon. Indian Space Organization plans to put two astronauts into orbit in 2015.

Over the years, the space organisation has conducted a variety of operations for both Indian and foreign clients. ISRO's satellite launch capability is mostly provided by indigenous launch vehicles and launch sites.

Geopolitical and economic considerations during the 1960s and 1970s compelled India to initiate its own launch vehicle program. During the first phase (1960s-1970s) the country successfully developed a sounding rockets program, and by the 1980s, research had yielded the Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 and the more advanced Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV), complete with operational supporting infrastructure. ISRO further applied its energies to the advancement of launch vehicle technology resulting in the creation of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geo synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) technologies.
India's economic progress has made its space program more visible and active as the country aims for greater self-reliance in space technology.

India also connects space exploration to national prestige. In 2010 India has launched 11 satellites, including nine from other countries—and it became the first nation to launch 11 satellites on one rocket. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully operationalised two major satellite systems namely Indian National Satellites (INSAT) for communication services and Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites for management of natural resources.

In 2008, ISRO successfully launched its first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1, while future plans include indigenous development of GSLV, manned space missions, further lunar exploration, and interplanetary probes. ISRO has several field installations as assets, and cooperates with the international community as a part of several bilateral and multilateral agreements.