The Department of Space (DoS) is an

Indian government The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territor ...

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

space exploration Space exploration is the process of utilizing astronomy and space technology to investigate outer space. While the exploration of space is currently carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration is conducted bo ...

and space technologies. The Indian space programme 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 for communication, television broadcasting and meteorological services, and

Indian Remote Sensing Satellite India's remote sensing program was developed with the idea of applying space technologies for the benefit of humankind and the development of the country. The program involved the development of three principal capabilities. The first was to desi ...

s (IRS) system for resources monitoring and management. It has also developed two satellite launch vehicles, the

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite ...

(PSLV) and the

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) is a class of expendable launch systems operated by the ISRO, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). GSLV has been used in List of GSLV launches, fifteen launches since 2001. History The Geo ...

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

History

In 1961, the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

and then

Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

entrusted the responsibility for space research and for the peaceful use of outer space to the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), then under the leadership of

Homi J. Bhabha Homi Jehangir Bhabha, FNI, FASc, FRS (30 October 1909 – 24 January 1966) was an Indian nuclear physicist who is widely credited as the "father of the Indian nuclear programme". He was the founding director and professor of physics at the ...

. In 1962, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) set up Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), with

Vikram Sarabhai Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai (12 August 1919 – 30 December 1971) was an Indian physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped to develop nuclear power in India. Often regarded as the "''Father of Indian space program''", Sar ...

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 India's national List of government space agencies, space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), ...

(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 14 January 2025, V. Narayanan succeeded S. Somanath as the

Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

(Space) and ''ex-officio'' chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation and Space Commission.

Agencies and institutes

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

(ISRO) – The primary research and development arm of the DoS **

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) is a major space research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), focusing on rocket and space vehicles for India's satellite programme. It is located in Thiruvananthapuram, in the India ...

(VSSC),

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

** Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Thiruvananthapuram **

Satish Dhawan Space Centre Satish Dhawan Space Centre – SDSC (formerly Sriharikota Range – SHAR) is the primary spaceport of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), located in Sriharikota, Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh. The spaceport is located on an isl ...

(SDSC-SHAR), Sriharikota ** U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC),

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

** Space Applications Centre (SAC),

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled 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 ...

National Remote Sensing Centre Space programme of India Organisations based in Hyderabad, India Year of establishment missing Indian Space Research Organisation facilities ...

(NRSC),

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

** ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (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 ...

(MCF), Hassan ** ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), Bengaluru ** Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS), Bengaluru ** Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS),

Dehradun Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, d ...

* Antrix Corporation – The marketing arm of ISRO * Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad * National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), Gadanki * North-Eastern Space Applications Centre (NE-SAC), Umiam * Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram – India's space university * NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), Bengaluru * Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN–SPACe)

Historical list of annual budget of department of 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

Historical list of annual budget of department of space

See also

References

External links