New Delhi: A total of 27 satellite missions and 25 launch vehicle missions were successfully completed in India during the last five years, from April 2016 to March 2021. According to a statement issued by the Department of Space in reply to a question by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Lok Sabha on Wednesday said that during this period 286 commercial satellites of domestic and foreign customers and eight students of Indian universities Satellites were also launched.
Some of the major space missions include the first operational flight of India’s heavy lift launch vehicle GSLV Mk-III; Advanced Cartography Satellite, Cartosat-3; Completion of NavIC Constellation; Launch of South Asia Satellite; The statement quoted the Union minister as saying the launch of the heaviest and most advanced high throughput communication satellite, GSAT-11, and a record launch of 104 satellites in a single PSLV flight. GSLV Mk-III put India’s second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, into orbit in 2019. The Chandrayaan-2 mission is a highly complex mission, representing a significant technological leap in comparison to the previous missions of ISRO. The mission included an orbiter, a lander and a rover to explore the South Pole of the Moon, which is yet to be discovered.
During this period, three technology demonstrators, namely the scramjet engine, the reusable launch vehicle, and a test for the crew escape system, were also successfully performed.
The Department of Space has drawn up short-term and long-term plans in the areas of space transportation systems, satellite communications and navigation, Earth observation, space science and planetary exploration, capacity building and space-based applications.
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