As Isro goes on 100th mission taking India closer to its own GPS NavIC, a timeline of its journey

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) launched the GSLV-F15 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on Wednesday at 6:23 AM IST, carrying the NVS-02 satellite. This mission marks Isro’s 100th rocket launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

The mission is the first under the leadership of newly appointed chairman V Narayanan.

It is the 17th flight of India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and the 11th utilizing an indigenous cryogenic upper stage.

The mission successfully deployed the NVS-02 satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

The satellites are part of India’s indigenously built Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system, designed to provide accurate Position, Velocity, and Timing (PVT) services to users across India and regions extending approximately 1,500 km beyond the Indian mainland.

This launch is crucial for enhancing India’s regional navigation infrastructure.

This milestone comes amidst a timeline of significant space achievements, including historic missions like Chandrayaan-1, Mangalyaan, and Chandrayaan-3.

Isro’s timeline of major milestones in space exploration:

1962 – INCOSPAR formed by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE):
INCOSPAR (Indian National Committee for Space Research) was the predecessor to Isro. Established in 1962 by Dr Vikram Sarabhai under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

21 November 1963 – First Sounding Rocket Launch:
India launched its first sounding rocket from the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The iconic image of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and his colleague CR Sathya transporting parts of the rocket by bicycle was taken at the Thumba site.

15 August 1969 – Isro Formed Under DAE:
Isro was officially formed on 15 August 1969 under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

1 January 1975 – Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE):
The SITE project was a collaboration with NASA, using satellite technology to broadcast educational programs to rural India. It ran from August 1975 to July 1976 and was a significant social experiment.

7 June 1979 – Bhaskara-I: India’s First Earth Observation Satellite:
Launched on 7 June 1979, Bhaskara-I was India’s first experimental Earth observation satellite, used for remote sensing in land and water resource management.

18 July 1980 – Rohini Satellite Completes Mission Launch:
India successfully launched the Rohini satellite.

1 January 1981 – SLV-3:
Isro successfully launched the Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-3) to put satellites into low Earth orbit.

20 November 1981 – Bhaskara-II:
The Bhaskara-II satellite was launched as a follow-up to Bhaskara-I for Earth observation.

10 April 1982 – INSAT-1A:
INSAT-1A, the first satellite under the Indian National Satellite System (INSAT) program, was launched to provide telecommunications, meteorology, and broadcasting services.

2 April 1984 – India-Soviet Manned Space Mission:
Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to travel to space as part of the India-Soviet Intercosmos mission, flying aboard Soyuz T-11.

4 May 1994 – SROSS-C2:
The Stretched Rohini Satellite Series-C2 (SROSS-C2) was launched to study the Earth’s atmosphere and its interaction with space.

18 April 2001 – GSLV-D1/GSAT-1:
India launched the GSAT-1 satellite aboard the GSLV-D1 rocket for telecommunication services.

10 January 2007 – PSLV-C7/CARTOSAT-2E/SRE-1:
The PSLV-C7 mission successfully launched multiple satellites, including CARTOSAT-2E for Earth observation.

22 October 2008 – PSLV-C11/Chandrayaan-1:
India’s first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1, was launched aboard the PSLV-C11 rocket, marking a major milestone for Isro.

The mission’s primary objectives included conducting chemical, mineralogical, and photo-geologic mapping of the Moon’s surface. The spacecraft carried 11 scientific instruments developed by India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and Bulgaria.

One of the mission’s most groundbreaking achievements was the discovery of water molecules on the Moon’s surface.

20 April 2011 – PSLV-C16/Resourcesat-2:
This mission deployed the Resourcesat-2 satellite for Earth observation.

5 November 2013 – PSLV-C25/Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan):
India’s first interplanetary mission, Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), was successfully launched.

7 December 2014 – GSAT-16:
Isro launched GSAT-16 to strengthen its communication network. It was a a communication satellite.

5 December 2018 – GSAT-11 – India’s Heaviest Communication Satellite:
GSAT-11 was launched to enhance broadband connectivity across India.

22 July 2019 – GSLV-Mk III-M1/Chandrayaan-2:
India launched its second lunar exploration mission, Chandrayaan-2, aboard the GSLV-Mk III-M1 rocket. Though, the mission was partially successful. While the orbiter successfully entered lunar orbit and continues to provide valuable data about the Moon’s surface and exosphere. The lander Vikram unfortunately lost communication with the ground control during its descent to the Moon’s surface.

28 February 2021 – PSLV-C51/Amazonia-1:
This mission launched the Amazonia-1 satellite for Earth observation.

2 April 2023 – Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission (RLV-MLV):
Isro conducted a successful test flight of the Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission in Chitradurga, Karnataka.

21 October 2023 – Gaganyaan TV-D1 Mission:
This test flight was a part of the Gaganyaan human spaceflight program, demonstrating the Crew Escape System for astronaut safety. As of January 2025, the mission has experienced delays. Now, the first crewed flight now scheduled for 2026.

2 September 2023 – PSLV-C57/Aditya-L1 Mission:
Aditya-L1, India’s first dedicated solar mission, was launched to study the Sun. The spacecraft was placed in a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1), approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.

14 July 2023 – LVM3 M4/Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
Isro launched Chandrayaan-3, aiming to demonstrate India’s capability for a safe and soft lunar landing. The Vikram lander successfully landed near the Moon’s south pole, making India the first country to achieve this feat. The Pragyan rover was deployed from the lander. It conducted experiments to analyze the lunar surface’s composition.

5 December 2024 – PSLV-C59/Proba-3 Mission:
Isro launched the PSLV-C59 rocket, deploying the European Space Agency’s PROBA-3 mission for precision formation flying.

30 December 2024 – PSLV-C60/SPADEX Mission:
This mission aims to demonstrate spacecraft rendezvous and docking technologies.