Indian Space Missions 2024: Full list of significant space missions by ISRO

Space Missions of India in 2024: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is the Indian government’s space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, and is responsible for managing India’s space programs. Established in 1969, operating under the Department of Space (DoS) and directly reporting to the Prime Minister of India, ISRO aims to harness space technology for national development. 

Over the years, ISRO has been at the forefront of space exploration, continuously expanding its capabilities and accomplishments. It has conducted numerous space missions, including satellite launches, lunar and interplanetary missions, and the development of launch vehicles for communication, television broadcasting, meteorological services, resource monitoring, and more. 

A list of significant accomplished Space Missions of India (till 2024):

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been at the forefront of space exploration and satellite technology since its inception in 1969. It has conducted a total of 124 spacecraft missions, including 17 satellites developed by private players or students and 432 foreign satellites launched.

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Additionally, ISRO has also completed 96 launch missions, six re-entry missions, and projects like POEMS. The organisation is also preparing for the Gaganyaan mission, India’s first manned spaceflight, highlighting its advancements in space technology and exploration.

Here is a comprehensive list of ISRO’s space missions up to 2024.

Year	Mission Name	Mission Type	Mission Description
1975	Aryabhata	Satellite	India’s first satellite. It was launched for scientific and technological research.
1980	Rohini Satellite Series (RS-1)	Satellite	India’s first satellite was launched by its launch vehicle, the SLV-3.
1983	INSAT-1B	Communication Satellite	Part of the Indian National Satellite System for telecommunications, broadcasting, and meteorology.
1987	SROSS Series (SROSS-1)	Satellite	Series of satellites for scientific research and observation.
1993	IRS-1E	Earth Observation	Part of the Indian Remote Sensing programme for resource monitoring and management.
1999	INSAT-2E	Communication Satellite	Advanced communication satellite for broadcasting and telecommunications.
2001	GSAT-1	Communication Satellite	Experimental satellite for testing new technologies in communication.
2005	Cartosat-1	Earth Observation	High-resolution mapping satellite for cartographic applications.
2008	Chandrayaan-1	Lunar Exploration	India’s first lunar probe, which discovered water molecules on the Moon,.
2013	Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan)	Mars Exploration	India’s first interplanetary mission, which made India the first Asian nation to reach Martian orbit,.
2014	IRNSS-1C	Navigation	Part of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System for providing accurate position information.
2015	Astrosat	Space Observatory	India’s first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory for astronomical observations.
2016	GSAT-18	Communication Satellite	Advanced communication satellite to support telecommunication, broadcasting, and broadband services.
2017	Cartosat-2 Series Satellite	Earth Observation	High-resolution earth observation satellite for cartographic and military applications.
2018	GSAT-29	Communication Satellite	High-throughput communication satellite to provide broadband connectivity to rural and remote areas.
2019	Chandrayaan-2	Lunar Exploration	India’s second lunar mission, aimed at exploring the Moon’s south pole region, was partially successful.
2020	GSAT-30	Communication Satellite	Replacement satellite for INSAT-4A, providing enhanced communication services.
2021	PSLV-C51/Amazonia-1	Satellite Launch	Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle mission carrying Brazil’s Amazonia-1 satellite and 18 co-passenger payloads.
2022	GSAT-24	Communication Satellite	A communication satellite was launched for NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) to provide DTH television services.
2023	LVM3-M3/OneWeb India-1	Satellite Launch	Launch of 36 OneWeb broadband communication satellites aboard the LVM3 rocket.
2023	Aditya-L1	Solar Exploration	India’s first solar mission was to study the sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the solar corona, and investigate the sun’s chromosphere using a near-ultraviolet instrument.
2023	Chandrayaan-3	Lunar Exploration	To demonstrate the ability to safely land on the moon and deploy a rover for exploration.
2024	X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat)	Satellite Launch	Launched to investigate the polarisation of cosmic X-rays and examine the 50 brightest known celestial objects in the universe.

Source: ISRO

A list of upcoming space missions by ISRO:

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has an ambitious lineup of upcoming space missions, showcasing its commitment to advancing space exploration and technology. Here’s a table of the upcoming space missions by ISRO:

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Year	Mission Name	Mission Type	Mission Details
2024	Gaganyaan 1	Human Spaceflight	The first test flight of the Gaganyaan spacecraft, designed to carry three astronauts and equipped with rendezvous and docking capabilities.
2024	NISAR	Earth Observation	A joint project with NASA to launch a dual-frequency synthetic aperture radar satellite for remote sensing is notable for being the first dual-band radar imaging satellite.
Mid-2025	Gaganyaan 2	Human Spaceflight	The second test flight before the inaugural crewed mission.
2025	Venus Orbiter Mission (Shukrayaan)	Planetary Exploration	An orbiter mission to study the atmosphere of Venus.
2026	Mars Orbiter Mission 2 (Mangalyaan 2)	Planetary Exploration	India’s second interplanetary mission to Mars is primarily an orbiter mission.
2026	Lunar Polar Exploration Mission	Lunar Exploration	A concept mission in collaboration with JAXA to explore the Moon’s south pole region.
2026	Gaganyaan 3	Human Spaceflight	The first crewed Gaganyaan mission aimed to make India the fourth country to independently send humans to space.
2028	Chandrayaan-4	Lunar Exploration	A lunar sample-return mission, the fourth in the Chandrayaan series, consists of multiple modules for different mission phases.
2028–2035	Bharatiya Antariksha Station	Human Spaceflight	A planned space station that would weigh 20 tonnes and maintain an orbit approximately 400 kilometres above Earth, where astronauts could stay for 15–20 days.
TBD	AstroSat-2	Astronomy and Astrophysics	A space telescope is proposed as the successor to Astrosat-1, with an ‘Announcement of Opportunity’ issued for ideas and the development of instruments for astronomy and astrophysics.

Source: ISRO