New Delhi: A total of 27 satellite missions and 25 launch vehicle missions were successfully accomplished in India during the last five years, from April 2016 to March 2021. Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, said 286 commercial satellites from domestic as well as foreign customers and eight student satellites from Indian universities were also launched during this period, according to a statement issued by the Department of Space.
Some of the major space missions include first operational flight of India's heavy lift launch vehicle GSLV Mk-III; Advanced Cartography satellite, Cartosat-3; completion of NavIC constellation; launch of South Asia Satellite; launch of heaviest and most-advanced high throughput communication satellite, GSAT-11 and a record launch of 104 satellites in a single PSLV flight, the statement quoted the Union Minister as saying. GSLV Mk-III had placed India's second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, into orbit in 2019. Chandrayaan-2 mission is a highly complex mission, which represents a significant technological leap compared to the previous missions of ISRO. The mission comprised an Orbiter, a Lander and a Rover to explore the Moon's South Pole, which is unexplored.
During this period, three technology demonstrators, namely the Scramjet engine, Reusable Launch Vehicle, and a test for Crew Escape System were also successfully demonstrated.
The Department of Space has charted out short-term and long-term plans in the areas of Space Transportation Systems, Satellite Communication and Navigation, Earth Observation, Space Sciences and Planetary Exploration, Capacity Building, and Space-based applications.