The Department of Space is an

Indian government The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the Government, national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy lo ...

department responsible for administration of the Indian space program. It manages several agencies and institutes related to

space exploration Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. While the exploration of space is carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration though is conducted both by robotic spacec ...

and

space technologies Space technology is technology for use in outer space, in travel (''astronautics'') or other activities beyond Earth's atmosphere, for purposes such as spaceflight, space exploration, and Earth observation. Space technology includes space vehicles ...

. The Indian space program under the DoS aims to promote the development and application of space science and technology for the socio-economic benefit of the country. It includes two major satellite systems,

INSAT The Indian National Satellite System or INSAT, is a series of multipurpose geostationary satellites launched by ISRO to satisfy the telecommunications, broadcasting, meteorology, and search and rescue operations. Commissioned in 1983, INSAT is ...

for communication, television broadcasting and meteorological services, and Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS) system for resources monitoring and management. It has also developed two satellite launch vehicles Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) is an expendable launch system operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). GSLV was used in fourteen launches from 2001 to 2021. Even though GSLV Mark III shares the name, it is an ...

(GSLV) to place IRS and INSAT class satellites in orbit.

History

In 1961, the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

and then

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

entrusted the responsibility for space research and for the peaceful use of outer space to the

Department of Atomic Energy The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) (IAST: ''Paramāṇu Ūrjā Vibhāga'') is a department with headquarters in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. DAE was established in 1954 by a Presidential Order. DAE has been engaged in the development of nucl ...

(DAE), then under the leadership of Dr.

Homi J. Bhabha Homi Jehangir Bhabha, (30 October 1909 – 24 January 1966) was an Indian nuclear physicist, founding director, and professor of physics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). Colloquially known as "Father of Indian nuclear pro ...

. In 1962, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) set up

Indian National Committee for Space Research The Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was set up by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai in 1962 to formulate the Indian Space Programme. At the time, the committee was part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. The committee too ...

(INCOSPAR), with Dr. Vikram Sarabhai as chairman, to organise a national space programme. In 1969, INCOSPAR was reconstituted as an advisory body under the India National Science Academy (INSA) and the

Indian Space Research Organisation The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman ...

(ISRO) was established. The Government of India constituted the Space Commission and established the Department of Space (DoS) in 1972 and brought ISRO under DoS management on 1 June 1972. On 15 January

S. Somanath Sreedhara Panicker Somanath (born July 1963) is an Indian Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer serving as the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation. Somanath also served as ...

succeeded

Kailasavadivoo Sivan Kailasavadivoo Sivan (born 14 April 1957) is an Indian space scientist who served as the Secretary of the Department of Space and chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation and Space Commission. He has previously served as the Director o ...

as the

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

(Space) and ''ex-officio'' chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation and Space Commission. Vanditha Sharma is the

additional secretary Additional Secretary (often abbreviated as AS, GoI or Union Additional Secretary or Additional Secretary to Government of India) is a post and a rank under the Central Staffing Scheme of the Government of India. The authority for creation of thi ...

of the department.

Agencies and institutes

Department_of_Space_(India)_-_organization_chart

The Department of Space manages the following agencies and institutes: *

(ISRO) – The primary research and development arm of the DoS. ** Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC),

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

. **

Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) is a research and development centre functioning under Indian Space Research Organisation. It has two units located at Valiamala, in Thiruvananthapuram of Kerala, and Bengaluru of Karnataka. LPSC is a ...

(LPSC), Thiruvananthapuram. ** Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR),

Sriharikota Sriharikota is a Barrier island off the Bay of Bengal coast located in the Shar Project settlement of Tirupati district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It houses the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, one of the two satellite launch centres in India (the o ...

. **

ISRO Satellite Centre The U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), formerly ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) ( hi, इसरो उपग्रह केंद्र) is an Indian Space Research Organisation centre for the design, development, and construction of Indian satel ...

(ISAC),

Bengaluru Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

. ** Space Applications Centre (SAC),

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

. **

National Remote Sensing Centre National Remote Sensing Centre (Hindi: राष्ट्रीय सुदूर संवेदन केन्द्र), or NRSC, located in Hyderabad, Telangana is one of the centres of the Indian Space Research Organisation The India ...

(NRSC),

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

. **

ISRO Inertial Systems Unit The ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) is a research and development unit of the Indian Space Research Organisation located in Vattiyoorkavu, Thiruvananthapuram that specialises in inertial sensors and systems in satellite technology. Its specializ ...

(IISU), Thiruvananthapuram. ** Development and Educational Communication Unit (DECU), Ahmedabad. **

Master Control Facility The Master Control Facility (MCF) is a facility set up by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in the city of Hassan in the Indian state of Karnataka. Established in 1982, this facility is responsible for monitoring and controlling geo ...

(MCF),

Hassan Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to: People *Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name *Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scottis ...

. **

ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), over the years, has established a comprehensive global network of ground stations to provide Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TTC) support to satellite and launch vehicle missions. These facilities ar ...

(ISTRAC), Bengaluru. ** Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS), Bengaluru. **

Indian Institute of Remote Sensing The Indian Institute of Remote Sensing is a premier institute for research, higher education and training in the field of remote sensing, geoinformatics and GPS technology for natural resources, environmental and disaster management under the In ...

(IIRS),

Dehradun Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislative As ...

. *

Antrix Corporation Antrix Corporation Limited ( ISO 15919: ) is an Indian government-owned company under the administrative control of the Department of Space. It was incorporated in September 1992, as a commercial and marketing arm of ISRO by prompting, comme ...

– The marketing arm of ISRO. * Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad. *

National Atmospheric Research Laboratory The National Atmospheric Research Laboratory(NARL) is an autonomous Research Institute funded by the Department of Space of the Government of India. NARL is engaged in fundamental and applied research in the field of Atmospheric Sciences. The r ...

(NARL), Gadanki. *

North-Eastern Space Applications Centre North-Eastern Space Applications Centre is a regional space centre established in September, 2000 by joint initiative of Department of space, Government of India and North Eastern Council to expedite the usage of remote sensing technology to dis ...

(NE-SAC), Umiam. *

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) is a government-aided institute and deemed university for the study and research of space science, located at Valiamala, Nedumangad, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. It is the first universit ...

(IIST), Thiruvananthapuram – India's space university. *

NewSpace India Limited NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) of Government of India and commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was established on 6 March 2019 under the administrative control of Department of Space ...

(NSIL), Bengaluru. *

Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN–SPACe) is a single-window autonomous agency under the Department of Space of the Government of India. Space programme in India has been developed over a period of more than five dec ...

(IN–SPACe)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Ministry of Science and Technology (India) Space programme of India 1972 establishments in Delhi Government agencies established in 1972

History

Agencies and institutes

See also

References

External links