ISRO Missions List 2024: Past, Present, and Future Space Ventures

If you’re intrigued by India’s space endeavours, you’ve landed on the right page. In this article, we provide an extensive ISRO missions list, covering past achievements, current missions, and exciting ventures on the horizon. Whether you’re researching ISRO’s impressive track record or looking forward to their future endeavours, we’ve got you covered.

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ISRO Upcoming Missions List – Know ISRO Next Mission List

Here are some of the upcoming and future missions of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation):

After the success of Chandrayaan 3 and Aditya L1 mission, ISRO recently launched X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSAT) on 1st Jan 2024. With this ISRO is now gearing up for its upcoming projects, These are –

Project	Launch Date	Type	Description
INSAT-3DS	26 January 2024	Communications satellite	Part of the INSAT series by ISRO, serving communication, broadcasting, and meteorological purposes in India and neighboring regions. Provides meteorological imaging and data relay services for weather forecasting, disaster management, and related activities. Includes weather monitoring, cyclone detection, and communication support during natural disasters.
NISAR	30 March 2024	SAR satellite	Joint project between NASA and ISRO, NISAR is a dual-frequency synthetic aperture radar satellite for remote sensing. Notable for being the first dual-band radar imaging satellite.
Gaganyaan 1	2024	Test flight (uncrewed)	Indian crewed orbital spacecraft designed by ISRO and HAL. Intended for the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, designed for three people. Planned upgraded version with rendezvous and docking capability. First of two flight tests before the inaugural crewed mission.
Gaganyaan 2	Mid 2025	Test flight (uncrewed)	Second of two flight tests before the inaugural crewed mission.
Venus Orbiter Mission (Shukrayaan)	December 2025	Venus orbiter	Planned orbiter mission by ISRO to study the atmosphere of Venus.
Mars Orbiter Mission 2	2026	Mars orbiter	India’s second interplanetary mission to Mars by ISRO. Expected to consist of an orbiter, with initial speculations about including a lander and a rover, later confirmed as an orbiter mission only.
Gaganyaan 3	2026[18]	Crewed spacecraft	First crewed Gaganyaan mission. If successful, India would become the fourth country in the world (after the US, Soviet Union, and China) to independently send humans into space.
Lunar Polar Exploration Mission	2026	Lunar lander, rover	Concept mission by JAXA and ISRO to explore the Moon’s south pole region in 2025. Mission concept not yet formally proposed for funding and planning.
Chandrayaan-4	2028[19]	Lunar lander, sample return	Planned lunar sample-return mission by ISRO, the fourth iteration in the Chandrayaan program. Consists of Transfer module (TM), Lander module (LM), Ascender module (AM), and Reentry Module (RM).
Bharatiya Antariksha Station	2028–2035	Space station	Planned space station by India, operated by ISRO. Weighing 20 tonnes, it will maintain an orbit of approximately 400 kilometers above Earth. Astronauts can stay for 15–20 days.
AstroSat-2	TBD	Space telescope	India’s second dedicated multi-wavelength space telescope, proposed by ISRO as the successor of Astrosat-1 observatory. ISRO launched an ‘Announcement of Opportunity’ in February 2018, requesting proposals from Indian scientists for ideas and the development of instruments for astronomy and astrophysics.

These are just a few of the many upcoming and future missions of ISRO. The space agency is constantly planning new missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

ISRO Missions List Till 2024 and Future

Here is a list of some significant missions conducted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) up until 2024 and ahead. Here are some of the most notable missions of the Indian Space Research Organisation:

Let’s take a quick look at ISRO all missions list.

Mission	Description	Launch Year
Aryabhata Mission	India’s first satellite, launched into orbit by the Soviet Union.	1975
Rohini Satellite Series	A series of satellites used for Earth observation, meteorology, and communication.	1980s
SLV (Satellite Launch Vehicle)	India’s first experimental satellite launch vehicle.	1980
INSAT Series	A series of communication satellites used for telecommunication, broadcasting, and meteorology.	1983 onwards
IRS Series	These satellites are used for Earth observation, resource management, and environmental monitoring.	1988 onwards
ASLV (Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle)	An expendable launch vehicle designed to place satellites into geostationary transfer orbit.	1992
PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle)	A versatile launch vehicle known for its successful launches of numerous satellites into various orbits, including sun-synchronous orbits.	1993 onwards
GSAT Series	A series of geostationary communication satellites designed to improve telecommunication and broadcasting services.	2001 onwards
Chandrayaan-1 Mission	India’s first lunar probe, which made significant discoveries about the Moon’s surface, including the presence of water molecules.	2008
RISAT Series (Radar Imaging Satellite)	Satellites equipped with synthetic aperture radar for all-weather, day-and-night Earth observation.	2009 onwards
Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan)	India’s first interplanetary mission, which successfully entered Mars orbit and conducted scientific observations of the Martian surface and atmosphere.	2013
GSAT-6A Mission	A communication satellite designed to provide mobile communication through multi-beam coverage.	2018
Astrosat Mission	India’s first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory, designed for astronomical observations.	2015
Chandrayaan-2 Mission	An ambitious lunar mission consisting of an orbiter, lander (Vikram), and rover (Pragyan). While the lander didn’t successfully land on the Moon, the orbiter continues to study the lunar surface.	2019
Cartosat Series	Earth observation satellites used for cartography, urban planning, and rural development.	2005 onwards
NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation)	India’s regional satellite navigation system, similar to GPS, used for precise positioning and timing information.	2018 onwards
GSAT-11	A high-throughput communication satellite, part of ISRO’s efforts to improve satellite-based internet services.	2018
GSAT-30	A communication satellite designed to provide telecommunication, broadcasting, and VSAT services.	2020
Chandrayaan-3 Mission	Intended as a follow-up lunar mission to build on the success of Chandrayaan-2.	2023
Aditya-L1 Mission	India’s first solar mission, designed to study the Sun’s outermost layer and its impact on Earth’s climate.	2023
X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSAT)	This mission will study X-ray sources in the universe.	2024

Check the ISRO Chairman List.

List of ISRO Successful Missions

Below is the ISRO missions list that were marked successful in the pages of history.

1. Aryabhata (1975):

• Aryabhata, named after the Indian astronomer Aryabhata, was India’s first satellite.
• It was launched on April 19, 1975, using a Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket.
• Aryabhata marked a significant milestone as India’s first satellite and set the stage for future space missions.

2. Indian National Satellite System (INSAT) Series (1983):

• The INSAT series, launched in 1983, revolutionized India’s telecommunications sector.
• Comprising nine operational communication satellites in Geo-stationary orbit, INSAT is one of the largest domestic communication satellite systems in the Asia-Pacific region.
• It serves various purposes, including television transmission, satellite newsgathering, weather forecasting, and Search and Rescue activities.

3. GSAT Series:

• The GSAT (Geosynchronous Satellite) series consists of communication satellites built in India.
• These satellites are primarily used for digital audio, data, and video transmission.
• Out of the many GSAT satellites launched by ISRO, 18 are still operational, demonstrating their reliability and effectiveness.

4. Chandrayaan-1 (2008):

• Chandrayaan-1 was India’s first mission to the Moon, successfully launched on October 22, 2008.
• It made a significant scientific breakthrough by detecting the presence of water molecules on the lunar surface, marking a historic discovery in lunar exploration.

5. Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) (2014):

• With MOM, also known as Mangalyaan, India became the first nation to reach Mars on its maiden attempt.
• Launched on November 5, 2013, by the PSLV-C25 rocket, it made India the fourth space agency to successfully put a spacecraft in orbit around Mars.
• Despite a planned mission duration of 6 months, MOM continued to orbit Mars for an impressive 7 years, providing valuable data.

6. Chandrayaan-3 (2023):

• Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, successfully landed on the lunar south pole on August 23, 2023.
• The mission is a major achievement for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and a source of pride for the country.
• The lander, Vikram, and rover, Pragyan, will conduct experiments to study the lunar surface and its resources.
• The mission will help India to become a leading spacefaring nation.

7. Aditya L1 (2023):

• Aditya L1 is India’s first solar mission that is intended to study the Sun for nearly 5 years. The PSLV-C57 rocket launched the Aditya L1 spacecraft from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR) in Sriharikota in 2023. 
• The Aditya L1 spacecraft is going to be placed in a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L1, which is a point of gravitational equilibrium between the Sun and Earth. From this orbit, the spacecraft will be able to study the Sun’s atmosphere, including the corona, solar wind, and solar flares.
• The Aditya L1 mission is expected to provide valuable insights into the Sun’s behaviour and its impact on Earth’s climate and environment. The mission will also help scientists to better understand the causes of solar storms and other space weather events.

ISRO Failed Missions List

Here is a list of some ISRO missions that faced challenges or were not entirely successful:

1. Chandrayaan-2 Vikram Lander (2019):

• While Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter successfully reached lunar orbit, the Vikram lander’s attempt to make a soft landing on the Moon’s surface faced challenges.
• The lander lost communication during its descent, resulting in an unsuccessful landing.

2. GSAT-6 (2000):

• GSAT-6 was launched with the intention of serving mobile communication through multi-beam coverage.
• Unfortunately, issues with the satellite’s power system led to its failure to achieve its intended orbit.

3. GSAT-5P (2010):

• GSAT-5P was intended to provide communication services.
• However, a failure in the satellite’s second-stage rocket caused it to end up in a lower-than-planned orbit, limiting its operational life.

4. GSAT-11 (2017):

• GSAT-11 was designed to improve satellite-based internet services.
• It faced challenges during its launch when it was initially recalled for inspections, causing delays.

5. IRNSS-1H (2017):

• The IRNSS-1H satellite was part of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
• The satellite’s mission failed due to a malfunction during the launch vehicle’s heat shield separation.

6. Chandrayaan-2 Pragyan Rover (2019):

• Chandrayaan-2’s Pragyan rover was expected to explore the lunar surface.
• Unfortunately, it did not deploy as intended due to the Vikram lander’s communication failure.

It’s important to note that space missions are complex and challenging endeavours, and failures can occur at various stages. ISRO, like other space agencies, learns valuable lessons from these setbacks and uses them to improve future missions. Despite these challenges, ISRO has continued to make significant progress in space exploration and technology.

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