New Delhi: Reflecting India’s accelerating progress in space exploration, ISRO has nearly doubled its number of missions between 2015 and 2025 compared to the previous decade, ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan stated on Thursday, August 21.
Speaking at a high-profile press conference in New Delhi, alongside Union Minister Jitendra Singh and Gaganyaan astronauts Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla and Prasanth Nair, Narayanan described the past 10 years as a “phenomenal, exponential” phase in India’s space journey.
“In the last 10 years, ISRO has almost doubled its number of missions compared to 2005–2015. Just in the last six months, we’ve successfully completed three major missions,” he said.
Among those, the Chairman highlighted the Axiom-4 mission, which brought back Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to return from the International Space Station (ISS), marking a historic milestone for the country’s human spaceflight efforts.
Gaganyaan Set for Major Milestone in December
Narayanan also announced that the first uncrewed mission under the Gaganyaan programme, known as G1, is on track for a December 2025 launch. This flight will carry Vyommitra, ISRO’s half-humanoid robot designed to simulate human responses in space, paving the way for India’s first crewed space mission.
“This is a critical preparatory step for sending Indian humans into space. Vyommitra will help us better understand space conditions ahead of the crewed flight,” he noted, thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for greenlighting the Gaganyaan programme back in 2018.
India to Launch 6,500-kg US Satellite; G20 Satellites in the Pipeline
Looking ahead, Narayanan revealed that a NASA-ISRO collaboration is set to launch in the next 2-3 months, with India’s launch vehicle carrying a 6,500-kg American communication satellite into orbit.
He added that India has so far launched 433 foreign satellites from 34 countries, strengthening its position as a reliable commercial space launch provider.
In a further boost to international cooperation, Narayanan confirmed that India is working to provide G20 satellites to partner countries, a continuation of its vision for shared development in space.
“After Modi became PM, we built and donated the South Asian satellite to neighbouring countries. Now, we are developing a G20 satellite under the same spirit of collaboration,” he said.
Private Sector & Startups Fueling India’s Space Ambitions
The ISRO chief also credited India’s thriving startup ecosystem for fueling innovation in the space sector. From a single startup a decade ago, the country now boasts over 300 space startups, two of which have already conducted suborbital missions independently.
