India celebrates National Space Day on August 23 every year regarding the successful Chandrayaan-3 moon landing in 2023. This day marks India’s achievement in reaching the Moon’s south pole. This achievement made India the first nation to reach this unexplored lunar region and further showed the brilliance and vision of ISRO itself.
Why do we celebrate National Space Day?
National Space Day actually celebrates many space missions, not just one. It definitely shows how space exploration keeps growing in our country. It actually shows respect to India’s space journey that definitely started small in the 1960s. ISRO actually started with simple rockets in Thumba and now definitely launches advanced satellites for communication, weather, and space missions. This shows how India’s hard work and new ideas made it a top space country in the world.
The day is inspiring future generations, especially students only, to dream beyond the skies. We are seeing students getting motivated to achieve big things in space science. As per National Space Day celebrations, India shows its commitment regarding scientific discovery by honoring ISRO’s achievements. This positions space research as a main pillar for the nation’s growth and pride. Lets take a look at the journey of ISRO with its milestone achievements.
The Birth of ISRO: A Dream Takes Shape
The journey of India’s space program began under Dr Vikram Sarabhai, a scientist who was a staunch believer in transforming the nation with space technology. This was in the 1960s, the period when the entire world was gripped by the ‘space race’. In this context, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai understood and postulated that space science did not merely rely on launching rockets into space; it was more about using technology to address the national challenges and to foster national development.
India’s first step forward in this line was seen with the establishment of the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962, with the joint efforts of the greatest minds of the nation. The dream of transforming the nation with space technology was solidified with the establishment of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1969. This replaced INCOSPAR and worked for a greater cause, with the vision of using space technology for national development.
Aryabhata: India’s First Step into Space
The launch of Aryabhata marked the first great achievement for Indian space science on April 19, 1975. It was named after the great mathematician and astronomer in orbit. This was done under the assistance of the Soviet Union and was only an entry point for India into the global ‘space club’.
The launch of Aryabhata was seen as a matter of national pride and as a symbol of self-reliance and scientific ambition. The engineers and space scientists had faced a plethora of challenges from the first stage of development of Aryabhatta, but none gave up. There were no modern supercomputers with launch protocols before. Apart from the technological challenges, there were setbacks in the final stages as well. There was a power failure just four days before the launch; however, this was not enough to stop the greatest scientists.
These early challenges were not seen as drawbacks of the mission or of ISRO, but as lessons that shaped the future missions. The scientists of the following periods, too, began finding solutions with a limited budget in hand, and millions of expectations in mind. It might be safe to say that these challenges laid the foundations for the world-class capabilities of ISRO.
Scaling New Heights: Landmark Missions
The legacy of Aryabhata was followed by the successive missions of ISRO. These include missions like:
SLV-3 and PSLV
SLV-3 and PSLV helped in developing the foundation of India’s launch capabilities. SLV-3, developed in 1980, was India’s first homegrown rocket. It successfully launched the Rohini satellite. Further, PSLV, developed in 1994, became one of the most trusted launch vehicles of ISRO. It has gained a reputation as a reliable workhorse over decades, and has successfully deployed hundreds of satellites for Indian, as well as international clients.
Chandrayaan-1
As the world was moving towards the moon, India joined the race and took its first step towards the Moon with Chandrayaan-1 in 2008. This lunar mission captured the global eye with its discovery of water molecules on the surface of the Moon. This was one of the most remarkable discoveries in the history of space science. With this significant discovery, India was now on the world map of leading space nations.
Mangalyaan
Mangalyaan is one of the most famous missions of ISRO. It has been popularised by the movie ‘Mission Mangal’, starring Akshay Kumar. In 2013, the Mars Orbiter Mission, known as Mangalyaan, brought India to international prominence. India landed on Mars in its first attempt, while other nations in the space race had spent millions of dollars and numerous attempts to do so. The biggest flex was the limited budget for this mission. The total budget of ISRO for the Mangalyaan mission was even less than the budget of a typical blockbuster Hollywood movie. This mission brought India to the centre stage. With the success of this mission, India became Asia’s first nation to orbit Mars. Moreover, the mission brought unprecedented fame and praise to ISRO for its cost-effective interplanetary success.
Aditya-L1 and Beyond: India’s Future in Space
Moving forward to another trail of achievements, ISRO is now focusing on understanding our solar system’s most powerful force, the closest star, the Sun. ISRO launched Aditya-L1 in 2023, a dedicated solar observatory. This is India’s first solar mission, marking yet another milestone in the space science of the nation. Aditya-L1, positioned at the L1 Lagrange point, aims to study the solar activity and space weather.
This is significant for predicting and understanding space weather events. These may include solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These events have been attributed to causing disturbances in satellite communication, GPS systems, power grids and airline operations.
Following this, there is a long list of future missions of ISRO, aimed at making India a top space nation. Gaganyaan is one such mission. It would be India’s human spaceflight program, aiming at sending Indian astronauts into orbit. Indian astronauts have gone to orbit before, but never in an indigenous spacecraft. The success of this mission will make India the fourth nation in the world to achieve independent human spaceflight capability. Another such future mission is that of Chandrayaan-4, which would be an advanced version of the previous lunar missions. Next up is the Venus Mission, aimed at studying the extreme atmosphere of our nearest neighbour, Venus.
ISRO’s Global Impact and Inspiration
Today, ISRO stands tall with its global recognition. It serves as an inspiration for several nations, primarily for its low-cost satellite launch services. Till now, ISRO has helped and collaborated with 30+ countries in launching satellites. Further, ISRO, which is now itself a globally prestigious organisation, has worked on several collaboration projects with NASA, ESA and other private space organisations. ISRO has been inspiring the Indian youth, working tirelessly to position the nation as a space power.
ISRO Achievements at a Glance
| ISRO Mission | Year | Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| Aryabhata | 1975 | First satellite developed by India; launched with Soviet assistance. |
| SLV-3 | 1980 | India’s first indigenous satellite launch vehicle. |
| Chandrayaan-1 | 2008 | First lunar mission; confirmed the presence of water on the Moon. |
| Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission) | 2013 | India orbited Mars on its first attempt; first Asian nation to do so. |
| Aditya-L1 | 2023 | India’s first solar mission; studies the Sun’s corona and solar storms. |
Conclusion
ISRO has moved along a rocky road and has successfully made it to the top. It began its journey by making less advanced satellites like Aryabhata with the Soviet assistance. Moving further, ISRO gained milestone after milestone, moving on to the sophisticated studies such as the one being conducted by Aditya-L1. ISRO has emerged as a national pride, embodying resilience, innovation, and ambition. These achievements and attempts by ISRO continue to inspire the youth, attracting them to space exploration.
Suggested Story:
Indian scientists – Unsung Heroes of Indian Science – Part I
Indian Scientists – Unsung Heroes – Part II
