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This list covers most artificial satellites built and operated by the Republic of India. India has been successfully launching satellites of various types from 1975. Apart from Indian rockets, these satellites have been launched from various vehicles, including American, Russian and European rockets sometimes as well. The organization responsible for India's space program is Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and it shoulders the bulk of the responsibility of designing, building, launching and operating these satellites.[1] Print(updated on 7 October 2024
This is a list of Indian (wholly or partially owned, wholly or partially designed and/or manufactured) satellites and orbital space crafts, both operated by the Indian government (ISRO, Indian defence forces, other government agencies) or private (educational and research) entities. All satellite launches marked successful have completed at least one full orbital flight (no sub-orbital flights have been included in this list).
Mission status/type legend
Mission failure (due to launch vehicle failure (at launch/during transit))
† In case of discrepancy in data between sources, N2YO and NASA NSSDCA is taken as the source of truth. ‡ Orbital Longitude is applicable only for Geostationary and Geosynchronous satellites.
1980s
India had three continuous successful satellite launches from its first generation rocket SLV. ISRO had two running projects for next generation rockets based on SLV:
ASLV to study and develop technologies to transfer satellites into geostationary orbit.
PSLV to transfer higher payloads into polar and Sun synchronous orbits.
ISRO did not have enough funds to run both projects simultaneously. Initial setbacks complexity led ISRO to terminate ASLV in just initial flights and focus on PSLV.[8] Technologies to launch geostationary satellites arrived only in 2000s.
Used for measuring in-flight performance of second experimental launch of SLV-3. This was India's first indigenous satellite launch, making it the seventh nation to possess the capability to launch its own satellites on its own rockets.
First experimental communication satellite. Provided experience in building and operating a payload experiment three-axis stabilised communication satellite.
Second experimental remote sensing satellite; similar to Bhaskara-1. Provided experience in building and operating a remote sensing satellite system on an end-to-end basis.
† In case of discrepancy in data between sources, N2YO and NASA NSSDCA is taken as the source of truth. ‡ Orbital Longitude is applicable only for Geostationary and Geosynchronous satellites.
1990s
From this decade on, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) arrived that allowed India to become self-reliant in launching most of its remote sensing satellites. However, for heavy geostationary systems, India continued to remain dependent on Europe entirely. Capability to launch geostationary satellites will arrive in next decade.
Has additional capabilities such as mobile satellite service, business communication and television outreach beyond Indian boundaries. Still in service.
† In case of discrepancy in data between sources, N2YO and NASA NSSDCA is taken as the source of truth. ‡ Orbital Longitude is applicable only for Geostationary and Geosynchronous satellites.
2000s
ISRO's workhorse, the PSLV, became the mainstay for successful launches of indigenous satellites from India during this decade. India successfully launched 11 geostationary or geosynchronous satellites during this period, which was equal to the total number of similar launches in the previous 2 decades put together. India's first extra terrestrial mission was also successfully executed during this period.
Experimental satellite for the first developmental flight of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, GSLV-D1. Did not complete its intended mission due to a shortfall in the GTO apogee[87]
Experimental satellite to test technologies such as attitude and orbit control system, high-torque reaction wheels, new reaction control system, etc. This satellite carries a 1-meter resolution panchromatic camera, and is considered a prototype for future Indian "spy satellites"[93]
First meteorological satellite built by ISRO. Originally named METSAT-1, the satellite was subsequently renamed after Kalpana Chawla, who had perished in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
This is a micro-satellite that was built as a collaboration between Indian and Dutch researchers, for providing satellite-based amateur radio services to the national as well as the international community
Experimental satellite intended to demonstrate the technology of an orbiting platform for performing experiments in microgravity conditions. Launched as a co-passenger with CARTOSAT-2. SRE-1 was de-orbited and recovered successfully after 12 days over Bay of Bengal
Identical to INSAT-4A. Further augments the INSAT capacity for direct-to-home (DTH) television services and other communications. On the night of 7 July 2007 INSAT-4B experienced a power supply glitch which led to switching 'off' of 50 per cent of the transponder capacity (6 Ku and 6 C-Band transponders)
Identical to INSAT-4C. It carried 12 high-power Ku-band transponders designed to provide direct-to-home (DTH) television services, Digital Satellite News Gathering etc.
India's first uncrewed lunar probe. It carried 11 scientific instruments built and designed by India, USA, UK, Germany, Norway, Poland and Bulgaria. After a span of 9 months, the lunar craft faced debilitating failure, rendering most on-board systems inoperable. Additionally, faulty orientation of the SAR resulted in failed experiments, which eventually had to be abandoned.
Radar imaging satellite used to monitor India's borders and as part of anti-infiltration and anti-terrorist operations. Launched as a co-passenger with ANUSAT
This was a research micro-satellite designed at Anna University that carries an amateur radio and technology demonstration experiments. It has since been retired
† In case of discrepancy in data between sources, N2YO and NASA NSSDCA is taken as the source of truth. ‡ Orbital Longitude is applicable only for Geostationary and Geosynchronous satellites. § All orbital data related to Chandrayaan-1 is for its lunar orbit only.
2010s
While India had to face failure in launching relatively heavier satellites early on in the decade, it did end up launching 27 geosynchronous/geostationary satellites (17 with indigenous, and 10 with European launchers). In 2010s, it managed to launch most of its geosynchronous/geostationary satellites successfully on its own. This period also saw India enter the exclusive club of nations capable of launching probes to Mars. ISRO also improved upon its student/university outreach by launching multiple pico-, nano- and mini-satellites from various Indian universities. This period was also marked by multiple bilateral collaborations with foreign universities and research organizations. The same decade saw completion of NAVIC, India's regional navigation system.
Increased subcontracting to private vendors across the nation improved launch frequency by a factor of more than 2. India was able to fix glitches and operationalise its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle with an indigenous upper stage and operationalise next generation launch vehicle LVM3 with nearly double payload capacity, enabled the country to launch nearly all of its communication satellites. India launched its delayed Moon mission Chandrayaan-2 in 2019 which however failed to conduct soft landing on lunar surface. India also demonstrated capability to destroy "enemy" satellites in orbit. Increased application of India's space capabilities in strengthening its national security was observed.
Substantial increase in budget over the decade, increased payload capacity with increased reliability, increased launch frequency and many "firsts" in this decade had made Indian space program far more visible to world with significant coverage from international media and its hyphenation with leading spacefaring nations. The last launch of the decade marked with completion of 50 launches of PSLV rocket.[176]
Communications satellite with technology demonstrator features (electric propulsion, Li-ion battery, bus management unit).[177] Failed to reach orbit due to GSLV-D3 failure
India's first pico-satellite (weighing less than 1kg). It was designed and developed by a team from seven Engineering colleges in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
The GSAT-12 is configured to carry 12 Extended C-band transponders to augment the capacity in the INSAT system for various communication services like Tele-education, Telemedicine and for Village Resource Centres (VRC). Mission life is expected to be about 8 years
INSAT-3D is the meteorological Satellite with advanced weather monitoring payloads (6-channel multi-spectral imager, 19-channel sounder, data relay transponder and search-and-rescue transponder)[235]
GSAT-14 is the twenty third geostationary communication satellite of India. It is intended to replace GSAT-3, and to augment the In-orbit capacity of Extended C and Ku-band transponders
GSAT-16 is the twenty fourth communication satellite of India configured to carry a total of 48 transponders (12 Ku, 24 C and 12 Cue, each with a bandwidth of 36MHz[262]), which was the highest number of transponders in a single satellite at that time
GSAT-6 is a communication satellite. GSAT- 6 features an unfurlable antenna, largest on board any satellite. Launch of GSLV-D6 also marks the success of indigenously developed upper stage cryogenic engine
Communications satellite, carries communication transponders in Ku-band and a GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands. Weight 3164kg
A micro-satellite designed and built by the students of Sathyabama University, Chennai, India. This satellite collect data on green house gases in the LEO atmosphere
A 1-U pico-satellite[305] designed and built by the students of College of Engineering, Pune. This satellite provides point-to-point communications for the HAM community. A second version of the satellite is now being planned[306]
A micro-satellite designed and built by the students of PES Institute of Technology, Bengaluru at their Crucible of Research and Innovation Laboratory (CRIL) to develop remote sensing applications
ISRO holds the world record for launching the highest number of satellites by a single launch vehicle (104 satellites, including the CartoSat-2D and 2 indigenously designed nano-satellites, INS-1A and INS-1B)
This satellite is being offered by India as a diplomatic initiative to its neighboring countries (SAARC region) for communication, remote sensing, resource mapping and disaster management applications
ISRO sent 32 satellites, including 3 indigenous ones – CartoSat-2F (the 6th satellite in the Cartosat series to be built by ISRO), MicroSat-TD and INS-1C, on this mission
This is a technology demonstrator, and the forerunner for future satellites in this series. The satellite bus is modular in design and can be fabricated and tested independently of payload[366]
INS-1C, the third satellite in the Indian Nanosatellite series, will be carrying a Miniature Multispectral Technology Demonstration (MMX-TD) Payload from Space Applications Centre (SAC). Data sent by this camera can be utilised for topographical mapping, vegetation monitoring, aerosol scattering studies and cloud studies[367]
Similar to GSAT-6 it is a high power S-band communication satellite configured around I-2K bus. The satellite will also provide a platform for developing technologies such as demonstration of 6 m S-Band Unfurlable Antenna, handheld ground terminals and network management techniques that could be useful in satellite based mobile communication applications.[368] Communication was lost with satellite before final orbit raising maneuver.
† In case of discrepancy in data between sources, N2YO and NASA NSSDCA is taken as the source of truth. ‡ Orbital Longitude is applicable only for Geostationary and Geosynchronous satellites.§ All orbital data related to Mangalyaan-1 is for its Martian orbit only. § All orbital data related to Chandrayaan-2 is for its lunar orbit only.
2020s
ISRO aims to conduct 50 launches between 2020 and 2024.[372] Besides increasing the launch frequency to 12+ a year,[373] a number of extraterrestrial exploration missions including Aditya L1, Chandrayaan-3, Lunar Polar Exploration Mission, Shukrayaan-1 and Mars Orbiter Mission 2 are planned for this decade. A mission to Jupiter after Shukrayaan and a mission to explore beyond Solar System have also been proposed.[374][375]PSLV is expected to undergo its 100th flight mission in middle of the decade.[176] India's new low cost Small Satellite Launch Vehicle made its maiden flight(SSLV-D1) on August 7 2022, which unfortunately ended in a failure.SSLV-D2, launched on February 10, 2023, became the first SSLV to launch satellites successfully.[376]The SCE-200 rocket engine, expected to be the powerplant of India's upcoming heavy and super heavy launch systems, is expected to make first flight sometimes in middle of the decade.[377][378][379]Conducting an orbital human spaceflight before August 2022 is the highest priority for the agency while the long term goals of the programme include human-occupied space stations and crewed lunar landing.[citation needed]
First satellite of GISAT constellation and first Indian real-time earth observation satellite intended in geostationary orbit. Failed to reach orbit as upper-stage of rocket did not ignite.
ISRORadar Imaging Satellite designed to provide high quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as Agriculture, Forestry & Plantations, Soil Moisture & Hydrology and Flood mapping.[385]
POEM hosts six payloads.The PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) also known as PS4 Orbital Platform (PS4-OP) utilizes the spent PSLV fourth stage (PS4) to provide a long duration in-orbit platform for hosting payloads.
EOS02 was an optical earth observation satellite with a transmission speed of 32 mpps in x band. Due to sensor failure coupled with shortcomings of onboard software, the SSLVs VTM stage as well as the two satellite payloads were injected into an unstable transatmospheric Earth orbit measuring 356×76 km and subsequently destroyed upon reentry.
First of second generation navigation satellites in India's NavIC constellation. Includes payloads operating in L1, L5 & S bands and works on indigenous rubidiumatomic clock.
India's third lunar exploration mission. Orbital insertion successful, soft landing successful, roving successful, hop experiment successful, return to earth successful.
Following statistics are on the basis of number of satellites launched that were built-in or were to be operated by India. It does not account number of launch vehicles used or special orbital missions like re-entry that aren't taken into account as satellites. It also does not account foreign satellites launched by India.
Decade wise
The following bar chart lists number of Indian satellites launched decade-wise.
ISRO satellites which have been launched by foreign space agencies (of Europe, USSR / Russia, and United States) are enlisted in the given tables below.[406]
Carrying India's first Astronaut Rakesh Sharma. The Mission was Organised By USSR. It was launched from Baikonur31/6 on a Soyuz-U Launch vehicle on 3 April 1984 at 13:08:00 UTC.
The Explorers program is a NASA exploration program that provides flight opportunities for physics, geophysics, heliophysics, and astrophysics investigations from space. Launched in 1958, Explorer 1 was the first spacecraft of the United States to achieve orbit. Over 90 space missions have been launched since. Starting with Explorer 6, it has been operated by NASA, with regular collaboration with a variety of other institutions, including many international partners.
Project Vanguard was a program managed by the United States Navy Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), which intended to launch the first artificial satellite into low Earth orbit using a Vanguard rocket as the launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Missile Annex, Florida.
The Indian National Satellite System or INSAT, is a series of multipurpose geostationary satellites launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to satisfy telecommunications, broadcasting, meteorology, and search and rescue operations. Commissioned in 1983, INSAT is the largest domestic communication system in the Indo-Pacific Region. It is a joint venture of the Department of Space, Department of Telecommunications, India Meteorological Department, All India Radio and Doordarshan. The overall coordination and management of INSAT system rests with the Secretary-level INSAT Coordination Committee.
GSAT-3, also known as EDUSAT, was a communications satellite which was launched on 20 September 2004 by the Indian Space Research Organisation. EDUSAT is the first Indian satellite built exclusively to serve the educational sector. It is mainly intended to meet the demand for an interactive satellite-based distance education system for the country.
The GSAT satellites are India's indigenously developed communications satellites, used for digital audio, data and video broadcasting. As of 5 December 2018, 20 GSAT satellites manufactured by ISRO have been launched, out of which 14 are in service.
Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System is a Japanese satellite based augmentation system (SBAS), i.e. a satellite navigation system which supports differential GPS (DGPS) to supplement the GPS system by reporting on the reliability and accuracy of those signals. MSAS is operated by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB). Tests have been accomplished successfully, MSAS for aviation use was commissioned on 27 September 2007.
Technology Experiment Satellite (TES) is an Indian remote sensing and photo-reconnaissance satellite.
AEROS satellites were to study the aeronomy i. e. the science of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere, in particular the F region under the strong influence of solar extreme ultraviolet radiation. To this end the spectrum of this radiation was recorded aboard by one instrument on the one hand and a set of 4 other instruments measuring the most important neutral uand iononized parameters at the satellite's position on the other.
IMS-1 is an Earth observation satellite in a Sun-synchronous orbit. The satellite which is the fourteenth satellite in the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite series has been built, launched and maintained by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). IMS-1 is the first satellite to use ISRO's Indian Mini Satellite bus.
Sich-1 was the first Ukrainian Earth observation satellite and was launched on 31 August 1995 at 06:49:59 UTC by Ukrainian Tsyklon-3 rocket from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. It operated until 2001.
BIRD is a satellite launched by ISRO in 2001 for DLR. This small (92 kg) boxlike system, with solar panels and two collectors on stub wings, has remarkable fire-detection qualities. It hosts a two-channel infrared sensor system in combination with a Wide-Angle Optoelectronic Stereo Scanner (WAOSS). It also features a neuronal network classificator in orbit to reduce downlink bandwidth and cost.
GSAT-7 or INSAT-4F is a multi-band military communications satellite developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation. The Indian Navy is the user of the multi-band communication spacecraft, which has been operational since September 2013. According to defense experts, the satellite will enable the navy to extend its blue water capabilities and stop relying on foreign satellites like Inmarsat, which provide communication services to its ships.
Tempsat-1 was a United States Navy Radar calibration object, launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on a Thor Ablestar on August 13, 1965. It was a 14 inches (36 cm), unguided sphere. It was mainly used in investigation of spacecraft technology and orbits.
USA-130 is an American reconnaissance satellite that was launched in 1997. It was a DSP-I block 5 missile detection satellite run by the Defense Support Program. It is currently out of service.
The Surveillance Calibration satellites were a series of radar calibration satellites for the Naval Space Surveillance radar system. They were launched in the 1960s.
The Hispasat 1B was a Spanish communications satellite operated by Hispasat. Along with the Hispasat 1A, the satellite covered communications over the American Continent for both civilian and military customers. Together they formed the first European constellation operating over the New World. Its service life ended in 2003.
Tiankun-1 is a Chinese experimental technology demonstration satellite developed, operated, and launched by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC). It was launched on March 2, 2017, and is designed in order to test its satellite bus, as well as small satellite operations. The satellite decayed from orbit on 7 July 2023.
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