Prominent Space Missions of India | General Awareness for SSC CGL PDF Download

India has undertaken several significant space missions that have advanced its position in space exploration. These missions, spearheaded by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), showcase India's growing capabilities in space technology.

Chandrayaan-I

Chandrayaan-I was India's first unmanned lunar mission, launched by ISRO in October 2008. The mission, which included a lunar orbiter and an impactor, operated until August 2009. Launched on 22nd October 2008 using a modified version of the PSLV (PSLV C11) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, Chandrayaan-I had several scientific goals, including designing, developing, and launching a spacecraft to orbit the Moon using an Indian-built launch vehicle. The mission also aimed to create a 3D atlas of both the near and far sides of the Moon, as well as conduct chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface.

Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)

The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also known as Mangalyaan, was India's first interplanetary mission, launched by ISRO on 5th November 2013. The spacecraft was launched towards Mars from Sriharikota and marked India's entry into interplanetary exploration. The objectives of the Mars mission included detecting methane on the Martian surface, studying the mineral composition of Mars, and demonstrating India's ability to design, develop, test, and manage an interplanetary mission, along with achieving deep space communication.

Chandrayaan-II

Chandrayaan-II, an entirely indigenous mission, was India's second lunar exploration mission. Although it failed to achieve a soft landing on the lunar South Pole on 6th September 2019, the mission included an orbiter, a lander named Vikram, and a rover called Pragyan. Launched using the GSLV MK III - M1, Chandrayaan-II aimed to make India the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface and the first to land on the Moon's South Pole.

Chandrayaan-III

Chandrayaan-III is the third lunar mission approved by ISRO, with an estimated cost of around 600 crore INR. This mission will include a lander, a rover, and a propulsion module, with the primary objective of attempting another soft landing on the lunar surface.

Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SCRE)

The Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SCRE) was an Indian experimental spacecraft launched on 10th January 2007 by ISRO from Sriharikota, using the PSLV-C7 rocket along with three other satellites. The mission was designed to demonstrate the ability to recover an orbiting space capsule and to test the technology for an orbiting platform that could perform experiments in microgravity conditions.

Aditya Mission

The Aditya Mission, also known as Aditya-I, is India's first space-based solar coronagraph aimed at studying the solar corona in visible and near-infrared bands. The mission's primary objectives are to study Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and crucial physical parameters related to space weather, such as the evolution of the coronal magnetic field. ISRO plans to carry out this mission between 2019 and 2020.

Gaganyaan

Announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of Independence Day in 2018, the Gaganyaan Programme is India's maiden human spaceflight mission, with a scheduled launch in 2022. This mission aims to send Indian astronauts into space, marking a significant milestone in India's space exploration efforts.

Mission Shakti

Mission Shakti was an anti-satellite missile test conducted by India on 27th March 2019 from the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island launch center. Carried out by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), this mission made India one of the few nations capable of targeting and destroying satellites in space, joining an exclusive group that includes the USA, Russia, and China.