ISRO Missions UPSC

2nd March, 2023 Prelims

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Types of ISRO Spacecrafts

Mainly, there are 7 types of satellites used by ISRO, which are:

1. Communication Satellites
2. Earth Observation Satellites
3. Scientific Spacecraft
4. Navigation Satellites
5. Experimental Satellites
6. Small Satellites
7. Student Satellites

Full Forms of the Spacecraft Names

ISRO spacecraft names abbreviation:

1. APPLE – Ariane Passenger PayLoad Experiment

2. INSAT – Indian National Satellite
3. SROSS – Stretched Rohini Satellite Series
4. IRS – Indian Remote Sensing
5. GSAT – Geosynchronous Satellite
6. EDUSAT – Educational Satellite
7. HAMSAT – Amateur Radio Operator Satellite
8. CARTOSAT – Cartographic Satellite
9. SRE – Space Capsule Recovery Experiment
10. IMS – Indian Mini Satellite
11. RISAT – Radar Imaging Satellite
12. SARAL – Satellite with ARgos and ALtiKa
13. IRNSS – Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System
14. SCATSAT – Scatterometer Satellite
15. HySIS – Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite
16. EMISAT – Electromagnetic Intelligence-gathering Satellite

Must Read Blog- All about Space Communication: https://www.iasgyan.in/blogs/space-communication

Full Forms of the Launch Vehicles Names

There are mainly 4 types of launch vehicle ISRO has, which are:

1. SLV – Satellite Launch Vehicle

2. ASLV – Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle
3. PSLV – Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
4. GSLV – Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle

Full Forms of the Orbit Types

ISRO orbit type abbreviation:

1. LEO – Low Earth Orbit

2. GSO – Geosynchronous Orbit
3. SSPO – Sun-Synchronous Polar Orbit
4. GEO – Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit
5. GTO – Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit
 MUST READ ARTICLE: https://www.iasgyan.in/blogs/types-of-orbits-
explained#:~:text=There%20are%20essentially%20three%20types,orbit%2C%20and%20low%20Earth%20orbit.

Launch Orbit
Sl. Spacecraft Name Application
Date Type
19-Apr-
1 Aryabhata Experimental
1975
Earth Observation,
2 Bhaskara-I 7-Jun-1979 LEO
Experimental
Rohini Technology 10-Aug-
3
Payload (RTP) 1979
4 Rohini Satellite RS-1 18-Jul-1980
31-May-
5 Rohini Satellite RS-D1 LEO Earth Observation
1981
19-Jun- Communication,
6 APPLE GSO
1981 Experimental
20-Nov- Earth Observation,
7 Bhaskara-II LEO
1981 Experimental
10-Apr-
8 INSAT-1A GSO Communication
1982
17-Apr-
9 Rohini Satellite RS-D2 LEO Earth Observation
1983
30-Aug-
10 INSAT-1B GSO Communication
1983
24-Mar-
11 SROSS-1 Experimental
1987
17-Mar-
12 IRS-1A SSPO Earth Observation
1988
Earth Observation,
13 SROSS-2 13-Jul-1988
Experimental
14 INSAT-1C 22-Jul-1988 GSO Communication
12-Jun-
15 INSAT-1D GSO Communication
1990
29-Aug-
16 IRS-1B SSPO Earth Observation
1991
20-May-
17 SROSS-C Experimental
1992
18 INSAT-2A 10-Jul-1992 GSO Communication
19 INSAT-2B 23-Jul-1993 GSO Communication
 Launch Orbit
Sl. Spacecraft Name Application
Date Type
20-Sep-
20 IRS-1E LEO Earth Observation
1993
4-May-
21 SROSS-C2 Experimental
1994
15-Oct-
22 IRS-P2 SSPO Earth Observation
1994
23 INSAT-2C 7-Dec-1995 GSO Communication
28-Dec-
24 IRS-1C SSPO Earth Observation
1995
21-Mar-
25 IRS-P3 SSPO Earth Observation
1996
26 INSAT-2D 4-Jun-1997 GSO Communication
29-Sep-
27 IRS-1D SSPO Earth Observation
1997
28 INSAT-2E 3-Apr-1999 GSO Communication
26-May-
29 Oceansat(IRS-P4) SSPO Earth Observation
1999
22-Mar-
30 INSAT-3B GSO Communication
2000
18-Apr-
31 GSAT-1 GSO Communication
2001
The Technology
22-Oct-
32 Experiment SSPO Earth Observation
2001
Satellite (TES)
24-Jan- Climate & Environment,
33 INSAT-3C GSO
2002 Communication
12-Sep- Climate & Environment,
34 KALPANA-1 GSO
2002 Communication
10-Apr- Climate & Environment,
35 INSAT-3A GSO
2003 Communication
8-May-
36 GSAT-2 GSO Communication
2003
28-Sep-
37 INSAT-3E GSO Communication
2003
IRS-P6 / 17-Oct-
38 SSPO Earth Observation
RESOURCESAT-1 2003
20-Sep-
39 EDUSAT GSO Communication
2004
5-May-
40 CARTOSAT-1 SSPO Earth Observation
2005
5-May-
41 HAMSAT SSPO Communication
2005
22-Dec-
42 INSAT-4A GSO Communication
2005
43 INSAT-4C 10-Jul-2006 GSO Communication
10-Jan-
44 SRE-1 SSPO Experimental
2007
10-Jan-
45 CARTOSAT-2 SSPO Earth Observation
2007
12-Mar-
46 INSAT-4B GSO Communication
2007
47 INSAT-4CR 2-Sep-2007 GSO Communication
28-Apr-
48 IMS-1 SSPO Earth Observation
2008
 Launch Orbit
Sl. Spacecraft Name Application
Date Type
28-Apr-
49 CARTOSAT – 2A SSPO Earth Observation
2008
22-Oct-
50 Chandrayaan-1 Lunar Planetary Observation
2008
20-Apr-
51 RISAT-2 SSPO Earth Observation
2009
23-Sep- Climate & Environment,
52 Oceansat-2 SSPO
2009 Earth Observation
15-Apr-
53 GSAT-4 GSO Communication
2010
54 CARTOSAT-2B 12-Jul-2010 SSPO Earth Observation
25-Dec-
55 GSAT-5P GSO Communication
2010
20-Apr-
56 YOUTHSAT SSPO Student Satellite
2011
20-Apr-
57 RESOURCESAT-2 SSPO Earth Observation
2011
21-May-
58 GSAT-8 GEO Communication, Navigation
2011
59 GSAT-12 15-Jul-2011 GSO Communication
12-Oct- Climate & Environment,
60 Megha-Tropiques SSPO
2011 Earth Observation
26-Apr-
61 RISAT-1 SSPO Earth Observation
2012
29-Sep-
62 GSAT-10 GEO Communication, Navigation
2012
25-Feb- Climate & Environment,
63 SARAL SSPO
2013 Earth Observation
64 IRNSS-1A 1-Jul-2013 GSO Navigation
Climate & Environment,
65 INSAT-3D 26-Jul-2013 GSO
Disaster Management System
30-Aug-
66 GSAT-7 GSO Communication
2013
Mars Orbiter Mission
67 5-Nov-2013 Martian Planetary Observation
Spacecraft
68 GSAT-14 5-Jan-2014 GSO Communication
69 IRNSS-1B 4-Apr-2014 GSO Navigation
16-Oct-
70 IRNSS-1C GEO Navigation
2014
71 GSAT-16 7-Dec-2014 GSO Communication
Crew module
Atmospheric 18-Dec-
72 Experimental
Re-entry Experiment 2014
(CARE)
28-Mar-
73 IRNSS-1D GSO Navigation
2015
27-Aug-
74 GSAT-6 GTO Communication
2015
28-Sep-
75 Astrosat Space Science
2015
11-Nov-
76 GSAT-15 GEO Communication, Navigation
2015
20-Jan-
77 IRNSS-1E GSO Navigation
2016
 Launch Orbit
Sl. Spacecraft Name Application
Date Type
10-Mar-
78 IRNSS-1F GEO Navigation
2016
28-Apr-
79 IRNSS-1G GEO Navigation
2016
CARTOSAT-2 Series 22-Jun-
80 SSPO Earth Observation
Satellite 2016
Climate & Environment,
81 INSAT-3DR 8-Sep-2016 GSO
Disaster Management System
26-Sep-
82 SCATSAT-1 SSPO Climate & Environment
2016
83 GSAT-18 6-Oct-2016 GSO Communication
84 RESOURCESAT-2A 7-Dec-2016 SSPO Earth Observation
15-Feb-
85 INS-1A SSPO Experimental
2017
Cartosat -2 Series 15-Feb-
86 SSPO Earth Observation
Satellite 2017
15-Feb-
87 INS-1B SSPO Experimental
2017
5-May-
88 GSAT-9 GSO Communication
2017
89 GSAT-19 5-Jun-2017 GSO Communication
Cartosat-2 Series 23-Jun-
90 SSPO Earth Observation
Satellite 2017
29-Jun-
91 GSAT-17 GTO Communication
2017
31-Aug-
92 IRNSS-1H Navigation
2017
12-Jan-
93 INS-1C SSPO Experimental
2018
Cartosat-2 Series 12-Jan-
94 SSPO Earth Observation
Satellite 2018
12-Jan-
95 Microsat SSPO Experimental
2018
29-Mar-
96 GSAT-6A GSO Communication
2018
12-Apr-
97 IRNSS-1I GSO Navigation
2018
14-Nov-
98 GSAT-29 GTO Communication
2018
29-Nov-
99 HysIS SSPO Earth Observation
2018
100 GSAT-11 Mission 5-Dec-2018 GTO Communication
19-Dec-
101 GSAT-7A Communication
2018
24-Jan-
102 Microsat-R SSPO
2019
103 GSAT-31 6-Feb-2019 GTO Communication
104 EMISAT 1-Apr-2019 SSPO
22-May- Disaster Management System,
105 RISAT-2B LEO
2019 Earth Observation

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