India’s space journey has evolved beyond a string of spectacular missions. It has the national pulse and is a source of daily inspiration. In June 2025, when Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla displayed the Tricolour aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was a moment of pride for every Indian. The Prime Minister called it a “defining chapter” of Amrit Kaal (‘era of nectar’), and for many, that moment felt like India’s ascent was a part of their own heartbeat. It was not just science. It was identity being reshaped through vision and purposeful programmes.

That same spirit has been echoed earlier, on August 23, 2023, when Chandrayaan-3 made India the first nation to land near the lunar south pole. “India is now on the Moon,” declared Mr. Modi — words which rippled through classrooms, villages and living rooms alike. India’s lunar programme has been truly path breaking: Chandrayaan-1 (2008) confirmed the presence of water molecules; Chandrayaan-2 (2019) mapped the moon with high precision and prepared the ground for Chandrayaan-3 (2023), which achieved the world’s first soft landing near the south pole. When the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover explored the lunar surface for a full moon day, this led children to draw depictions of lunar landscapes in notebooks, it left researchers feeling vindicated, and inspired citizens who saw India’s story in space as also their own future.

India has become a trusted global partner in space. Over 400 foreign satellites have been launched aboard Indian rockets. In 2014, India became the first Asian nation and only the fourth in the world to reach Mars orbit — and on its maiden attempt, with the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan). The Aditya-L1 mission (2023), built through multi-institutional collaboration, is providing unprecedented insights into the sun’s corona and its impact on space weather. XPoSat (2024) is studying black holes, while SpaDeX (2024) has demonstrated in-orbit docking for future space stations and lunar missions.

A new space vision

These milestones are reshaping policy, culture, and aspiration. The road map is bold: continuation of the Gaganyaan programme for human spaceflight, Chandrayaan-4 and 5 for deeper lunar exploration, a dedicated Venus mission, a Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) by 2035, and an Indian human landing on the Moon by 2040. These are not distant dreams but national goals, aligned with the spirit of Amrit Kaal.

The Prime Minister has called for building a pool of 40 to 50 trained astronauts for future missions. On National Space Day 2025 (August 23), he urged young citizens to see themselves as participants in India’s human space programme. Gaganyaan, with an approved outlay of over ₹20,000 crore, is advancing steadily. Four Indian Air Force test pilots are undergoing training, and a series of uncrewed and crewed flights will culminate in India’s first indigenous human space mission, presently targeted for 2027.

Space technology today is woven into the fabric of governance and daily life. Satellites deliver disaster warnings, guide fishermen, assess crop yields and insurance claims, enhance railway safety, and power the geospatial backbone of the PM Gati Shakti programme. Space is no longer a distant luxury but a democratic utility — accessible to every citizen.

At the same time, space exploration fuels Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, advanced research, and workforce development. Future-ready technologies in space operations autonomy, robotics, in-space manufacturing, surveillance and interplanetary travel are being developed, ensuring that India retains leadership in this strategic frontier.

The transformation of India’s space sector is deliberate and ambitious. The opening of the field to private players, creating a thriving ecosystem of more than 350 startups building satellites, launch vehicles, and ground systems. The space budget has nearly tripled — from ₹5,615 crore in 2013-14 to ₹13,416 crore in 2025-26 — and has been augmented by nearly ₹5,000 crore in user funds. India’s space economy, currently valued at $8 billion, is projected to grow to $44 billion in the years ahead, creating jobs, industries and innovations that orbit around this sector.

Inspiring the next generation

The Prime Minister has challenged the ecosystem to deliver five space unicorns within the next five years and to scale up annual launches, nearly ten-fold, to 50 a year. With private participation, India is advancing technologies related to semi-cryogenics, electric propulsion, quantum communication and in-orbit servicing.

Youth are at the heart of this vision. The International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics hosted in India (August 2025) drew nearly 300 participants from over 60 countries, with Indian students winning medals. Initiatives such as the ISRO Robotics Challenge and Indian Space Hackathon/Bharatiya Antariksh Hackathon are bringing school and college students into direct contact with rovers, satellites and rockets, building confidence that the laboratories and launchpads of tomorrow are theirs to claim.

At the policy level, the National Meet 2.0 held just before National Space Day produced 5,000-plus pages of documentation across 300 user interactions. This 15-year road map aligns every mission with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Global collaborations and leadership

Space has been consistently projected as a global commons, where India’s leadership translates into shared progress. The South Asia Satellite has provided neighbours with communication capacity, while during India’s G-20 Presidency in 2023, India announced a “G20 satellite” for climate and environmental monitoring with data shared with all nations. Collaborative missions such as NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Thermal infraRed Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural resource Assessment (TRISHNA) with CNES (French space agency), Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and India’s participation in the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Proba-3 demonstrate India’s rise as a global partner, guided by the ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (‘the world is one family’).

India’s space journey is more than rockets and satellites. It is about a nation discovering new ways to see itself. The salute of Shubhanshu Shukla aboard the ISS, the landing of Chandrayaan-3, 350 startups from small towns designing space systems, young students competing in Olympiads, and satellites quietly serving national security and citizen services are all part of the same story.

In this Amrit Kaal, India is not simply participating in the space age. It is shaping it. With ambition, confidence, and purpose, Bharat looks to the stars knowing that the horizon belongs to it too.

S. Somanath was former Secretary, Department of Space, and Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He is now Distinguished Visiting Professor, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and Adviser (Space Technology), Government of Andhra Pradesh. The views expressed are personal

Published – January 01, 2026 12:16 am IST

ndian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Aditya-L1, India’s maiden solar mission, on board PSLV-C57 lifts off from the launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Sriharikota in 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI

he fourth Earth-bound manoeuvre of the Aditya-L1 mission has been performed successfully in the early hours of September 15.
| Photo Credit: Twitter/@isro

The fourth Earth-bound manoeuvre of the Aditya-L1 mission has been performed successfully in the early hours of September 15.

“Aditya-L1 Mission:

The fourth Earth-bound manoeuvre (EBN#4) is performed successfully.

ISRO’s ground stations at Mauritius, Bengaluru, SDSC-SHAR and Port Blair tracked the satellite during this operation, while a transportable terminal currently stationed in the Fiji islands for Aditya-L1  will support post-burn operations.The new orbit attained is 256 km x 121973  km,” ISRO posted on X (formerly Twitter). 

The next manoeuvre Trans-Lagragean Point 1 Insertion (TL1I)— a send-off from the Earth— is scheduled for September 19, 2023, around 02:00 Hrs. IST

Aditya-L1 mission pursues the enigma of space weather

After the final manoeuvre on September 19, Aditya-L1 undergoes a Trans-Lagrangian1 insertion manoeuvre, marking the beginning of its 110-day trajectory to the destination around the L1 Lagrange point. Upon arrival at the L1 point, another manoeuvre binds Aditya-L1 to an orbit around L1, a balanced gravitational location between the Earth and the Sun. The satellite spends its whole mission life orbiting around L1 in an irregularly shaped orbit in a plane roughly perpendicular to the line joining the Earth and the Sun.

The Aditya-L1, India’s first solar observatory mission was been successfully launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on September 2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

ISRO said the satellite is healthy and operating nominally. 
| Photo Credit: X/@isro

A day after India’s first solar observatory mission which was launched, the first Earth-bound firing to raise the orbit of the Aditya-L1, was performed on Sunday.

The ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network Work (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru performed the manoeuvre.

The space agency said the satellite is healthy and operating nominally. “The first Earth-bound maneuvre (EBN#1) is performed successfully from ISTRAC, Bengaluru. The new orbit attained is 245km x 22459 km. The next maneuvre (EBN#2) is scheduled for September 5, 2023, around 03:00 Hrs. IST,” ISRO posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Post its successful launch ISRO said that the Aditya-L1 started generating the power and that the solar panels are deployed.

Following the launch Aditya-L1 stays Earth-bound orbits for 16 days, during which it undergoes 5 manoeuvres to gain the necessary velocity for its journey.

Subsequently, Aditya-L1 undergoes a Trans-Lagrangian1 insertion manoeuvre, marking the beginning of its 110-day trajectory to the destination around the L1 Lagrange point.

Upon arrival at the L1 point, another manoeuvre binds Aditya-L1 to an orbit around L1, a balanced gravitational location between the Earth and the Sun.

The satellite spends its whole mission life orbiting around L1 in an irregularly shaped orbit in a plane roughly perpendicular to the line joining the Earth and the Sun.

In a significant leap for the country’s space exploration endeavours, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday successfully launched its maiden solar mission, Aditya-L1, carrying seven payloads for a detailed study of the sun.

India’s first solar space observatory mission was launched on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) XL from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 11.50 am. The separation of Aditya-L1 and its injection into an elliptical orbit around the Earth were successful and took about 63 minutes.

Several politicians across party lines congratulated ISRO on the successful launch of the mission and its importance for science and humanity.

President Droupadi Murmu celebrated the significant milestone as a “historic feat,” underscoring its contribution to expanding our understanding of outer space. She conveyed her sincere congratulations to the dedicated ISRO scientists and engineers for their outstanding achievement and offered her utmost support for the mission’s prosperous outcome.

“The launch of Aditya-L1, India’s first solar mission, is a landmark achievement that takes India’s indigenous space programme to a new trajectory. It will help us better understand space and celestial phenomena. I congratulate the scientists and engineers at ISRO for this exceptional feat. My best wishes for the success of the mission,” President Murumu said.

The launch of Aditya-L1, India’s first solar mission, is a landmark achievement that takes India’s indigenous space programme to a new trajectory. It will help us better understand space and celestial phenomena. I congratulate the scientists and engineers at @isro for this…

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 2, 2023

Appreciating the hardworking scientists responsible for this extraordinary accomplishment in India’s space exploration journey, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his confidence in India’s continued efforts to enhance our “understanding of the universe for the welfare of entire humanity.”

“After the success of Chandrayaan-3, India continues its space journey. Congratulations to our scientists and engineers at ISRO for the successful launch of India’s first Solar Mission, Aditya -L1. Our tireless scientific efforts will continue in order to develop a better understanding of the universe for the welfare of entire humanity,” PM Modi said.

After the success of Chandrayaan-3, India continues its space journey.

Congratulations to our scientists and engineers at @isro for the successful launch of India’s first Solar Mission, Aditya -L1.

Our tireless scientific efforts will continue in order to develop better…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 2, 2023

The main opposition party in the Indian parliament, Congress, hailed the launch of Aditya-L1 as a “stupendous achievement” for India, as it shared a timeline of the mission from its conceptualization for understanding the “continuity in the ISRO saga”.

In a post in Hindi on X, the Congress said ISRO has given many opportunities to the country to be proud.

“After Chandrayaan-3, ISRO has again raised the nation’s prestige by successfully launching Aditya L-1,” the party said.

ISRO ने देश को गौरवान्वित होने के अनेक मौके दिए हैं।

चंद्रयान-3 के बाद ISRO ने आदित्य L-1 को सफलतापूर्वक लॉन्च कर फिर से देश का मान बढ़ाया है।

देश के वैज्ञानिकों की इस अभूतपूर्व उपलब्धि पर समस्त कांग्रेस परिवार को गर्व है। ISRO की पूरी टीम को शुभकामनाएं।

जय हिंद pic.twitter.com/xzyKgwxQsh

— Congress (@INCIndia) September 2, 2023

The entire Congress family is proud of this unprecedented achievement of the country’s scientists, it said.  Best wishes to the entire ISRO team, the party added.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “Today’s launch of Aditya-L1 is another stupendous achievement of ISRO and for India!” “While saluting ISRO once again, it is worthwhile recalling the recent timeline for Aditya-L1 to understand the continuity in the ISRO saga,” he said.

Today’s launch of Aditya-L1 is another stupendous achievement of ISRO and for India!

While saluting ISRO once again, it is worthwhile recalling the recent timeline for Aditya-L1 to understand the continuity in the ISRO saga.

2006: Scientists with the Astronomical Society of…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 2, 2023

According to ISRO, Aditya-L1 is the first space-based observatory to study the Sun. The spacecraft, after travelling about 1.5 million km from the Earth over 125 days, is expected to be placed in a Halo orbit around the Lagrangian point L1 which is considered closest to the Sun.

(With inputs from agencies)

Aditya L1 onboard the PSLV-C57 the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on September 1, 2023 on the eve of its launch. Photo: X/@ISRO via PTI

The European Space Agency (ESA) which had provided crucial support to ISRO to monitor the Chandrayaan-3’s health, will also be supporting Aditya-L1, providing deep space communication services to the mission.

“ESA’s global network of deep space tracking stations and use of internationally recognised technical standards allows us to help our partners track, command and receive data from their spacecraft almost anywhere in the solar system,” said Ramesh Chellathurai, ESA service manager, and an ESA cross-support liaison officer for ISRO.

Mr. Chellathurai added that for the Aditya-L1 mission, ESA is providing support from all three of its 35-metre deep space antennas over Australia, Spain and Argentina, as well as support from the Kourou station in French Guiana and coordinated support from the Goonhilly Earth Station in the UK.

Ground services

ESA said that it was the main provider of ground station services for Aditya-L1. ESA stations will support the mission from beginning to end: from the critical ‘Launch and Early Orbit Phase’, throughout the journey to L1, and then to send commands to and receive science data from Aditya-L1 for multiple hours per day over the next two years of routine operations.

The space agency added that from April to December 2022, ESA and ISRO teams had worked together intensively to evaluate ISRO’s strategy for operating the Aditya-L1 and challenge their new orbit determination software.

“With its experience flying and even rescuing missions at the Lagrange points, ESA was in the perfect position to help ISRO improve their new orbit determination software and demonstrate that it has the fidelity and accuracy that the organisation needs in order to operate a spacecraft at a Lagrange point for the first time,” said ESA flight dynamics expert Frank Budnik.

New Delhi:

As the countdowns begin for the launch of the country’s maiden solar mission — Aditya-L1, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that we have reached the Moon and soon will reach near the Sun.

Shifting the focus to its next space odyssey after successfully placing a lander on the moon’s uncharted South Pole region, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set for the country’s maiden solar mission — Aditya-L1.

“We have achieved many things in 75 years. We have reached the Moon and soon will reach near the Sun. But this is not enough,” Amit Shah said during the ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ event.

He further praised the scientists and said that Chandrayaan-3 had reached the South Pole of the Moon.

“Chandrayaan-3 has reached the South Pole of the Moon. The scientists say that the many secrets will be unveiled now…Connecting every person to the development of the country and its future is the challenge the leadership needs to meet,” he added.

The launch of the sun mission is scheduled for Saturday at 1150 IST from the launch pad at Sriharikota, with the launch rehearsal and vehicle internal checks all being completed.

Aditya-L1 is India’s first solar space observatory and will be launched by the PSLV-C57. It will carry seven different payloads to have a detailed study of the sun, four of which will observe the light from the sun and the other three will measure in-situ parameters of the plasma and magnetic fields.

The largest and technically most challenging payload on Aditya-L1 is the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph or VELC. VELC was integrated, tested, and calibrated at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics’ CREST (Centre for Research and Education in Science Technology) campus in Hosakote in collaboration with ISRO.

Aditya-L1 will be placed in a halo orbit around Lagrangian Point 1 (or L1), which is 1.5 million km away from the Earth in the direction of the sun. It is expected to cover the distance in four months’ time.

On August 23, India took a giant leap as the Chandrayaan-3 lander module successfully landed on the moon’s South Pole, making it the first country to have achieved the historic feat and bringing to an end the disappointment over the crash landing of the Chandrayaan-2, four years ago. Overall, India became the fourth country – after the US, China, and Russia – to have successfully landed on the moon’s surface.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Aditya L1 onboard the PSLV-C57 the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on September 1, 2023 on the eve of its launch. Photo: X/@ISRO via PTI

India’s first solar observatory mission, named Aditya-L1, will be launched onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 11.50 am on Saturday.

On Friday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) commenced the 23-hour 40-minute countdown for the launch of the Aditya-L1 mission.

Approximately sixty-three minutes after liftoff, the satellite separation is expected to take place as the PSLV will launch the Aditya-L1 spacecraft into a highly eccentric earth-bound orbit at around 12.53 pm.

This PSLV-C57/Aditya-L1 mission can be counted as one of the longest missions involving ISRO’s workhorse launch vehicle. However, the longest of the PSLV missions is still the 2016 PSLV-C35 mission which was completed two hours, 15 minutes and 33 seconds after lift-off.

Long journey

Following the launch, Aditya-L1 will stay in earth-bound orbits for 16 days, during which it will undergo five manoeuvres to gain the necessary velocity for its journey.

“Subsequently, Aditya-L1 undergoes a Trans-Lagrangian1 insertion manoeuvre, marking the beginning of its 110-day trajectory to the destination around the L1 Lagrange point. Upon arrival at the L1 point, another manoeuvre binds Aditya-L1 to an orbit around L1, a balanced gravitational location between the Earth and the Sun,” ISRO said.

Aditya-L1 will stay approximately 1.5 million km away from the earth, directed towards the sun; this is about 1% of the distance between the earth and the sun.

Studying the solar corona

The Aditya L-1 payloads are expected to provide crucial information to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, propagation of particles and fields etc.

The seven payloads onboard the satellite are: Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC), Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT), Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS), High Energy L1 Orbiting x-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS), Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX), Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA), and Advanced Tri-axial High Resolution Digital Magnetometers.

The primary payload is VELC, which was developed by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru and is designed to study the solar corona and the dynamics of coronal mass ejections.

The Aditya-L1 satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has a major advantage of continuously viewing the sun without any occultation or eclipse. It is expected to provide a greater advantage in observing the solar activities continuously.

Tracking solar quakes

“There are certain activities which take place around the sun which we call solar quakes. In the aftermath of these solar quakes, a lot of energetic material from the sun is thrown out. Some of them can be directed towards the earth and they can travel at a maximum speed of 3,000 km per hour and reach the near-earth space within 15 hours,” Ramesh R., the principal investigator of the VELC payload, told The Hindu.

Prof. Ramesh added that once the energetic material reaches the earth, it may not cause any physical damage, but it does have the capability to cripple life on earth.

“Our present-day life scenario depends very much on the stationary satellites which are parked in space be it for our internet connectivity, cell phone or TV connectivity. These charged particle clouds can engulf the satellites and damage all the electronics on board the satellites. Hence, we do not know when the solar quakes will happen, it can happen any time of the day so it is very essential to observe the sun on a 24-hour basis and carry out observations,” Prof. Ramesh added.

Tirupati:

ISRO Chairman S Somanath on Friday visited the Sri Chengalamma Parameshwari temple in Sullurpeta in the run-up to the launch of Aditya-L1 mission and prayed for its success.

Somanath visited the temple at 7.30 am and offered prayers to the deity, said a temple official.

Talking to reporters, the ISRO chief said the Aditya mission will be launched at 11.50 am on Saturday.

He said the solar mission is for studying the Sun and it will take 125 days to reach the exact radius.

Following the Sun observatory mission, the space agency would launch various others including SSLV – D3 and PSLV in the coming days, he added.

About the Chandrayaan-3 mission, Somanath said everything is working well.

Srinivas Reddy, executive officer of Chengalamma Parameshwari temple, told PTI that ISRO officials visiting this temple before rocket launches had become a tradition, which goes back to 15 years.

Somanath had visited the temple on the eve of the Chandrayaan-3 mission also.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

ISRO will use an XL variant of the PSLV to place the Aditya-L1 spacecraft in a low earth orbit. Photo: isro.gov.in

Scientists at the Space Physics Laboratory (SPL) under the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) here are getting ready to unravel the secrets of the solar wind as the Aditya-L1 mission, meant to study the sun, lifts off in September.

The Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA) payload aboard Aditya-L1, one of seven scientific payloads aboard the challenging mission, was developed by the SPL to gain deeper insights into the phenomenon of the ‘solar wind,’ as the constant stream of charged particles from the sun is called.

S. Somanath, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said on Saturday that the mission would lift off from Sriharikota in the first week of September.

Energy of electrons

The SPL’s PAPA payload will study the composition of the solar wind, a senior ISRO official said. “It will look at the energy of electrons and the energy and mass of protons and ions in it. The study will also cover the angular variations,” the official said.

For the SPL, the Aditya-L1 mission is yet another big occasion, coming close on the heels of the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission on which it had two important scientific payloads. ISRO describes Aditya-L1 as the ‘‘first space-based Indian mission to study the sun’‘ from a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the sun-earth system.

Weighing roughly 8 kg, PAPA shares space on the Aditya-L1 spacecraft with six other payloads developed by sister ISRO units and other scientific establishments collaborating with ISRO. According to ISRO, the payloads are designed ‘‘to study the chromosphere, the photosphere and the outermost layers of the sun using electromagnetic and particle detectors.’‘

ISRO will use an XL variant of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) to place the Aditya-L1 spacecraft in a low earth orbit. Mr. Somanath said in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday that the spacecraft had been integrated with the launch vehicle at Sriharikota. Once launched, it will take 125 days to travel to its destination at L1.

On board the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s Vikram lander which soft-landed on the moon on August 23, the SPL had two payloads; the Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) and the Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive Ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA).