India's first rocket, a US-made Nike-Apache, was launched from Thumba, Kerala, at about 6:25 pm on 21 November 1963, carrying a French sodium-vapour experiment…
Scientists wanted to study the equatorial electrojet, a current in the ionosphere right above the magnetic equator. Thumba sits almost under it.
The church became the office and laboratory and the first rocket systems were assembled inside. The parish moved to a new church nearby.
A two-stage Nike-Apache from NASA carrying a French sodium-vapour payload that glowed at 100-120 km to reveal upper-air winds.
Four years after the Nike-Apache, the small RH-75 of the Rohini series flew from Thumba. Rohini rockets still fly there today.
ISRO took over from INCOSPAR under Sarabhai. In 1972 the Space Commission and Department of Space followed.
Aryabhata, about 360 kg, built in India and launched on 19 April 1975 from Kapustin Yar in the Soviet Union.
Yes. The first SLV-3 did not reach orbit. Satish Dhawan took responsibility, and the team flew again 11 months later.
SLV-3, 22 m and 17 tonnes, placed the 35 kg Rohini RS-1 in orbit. Project director: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
After a failed debut in September 1993, PSLV succeeded on 15 October 1994 and later carried India to the Moon and Mars.
With 11 instruments it orbited at about 100 km. NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper on board detected water and hydroxyl on the surface.
Yes. ISRO became the fourth agency to reach Mars orbit and the first on its first attempt, for about 450 crore rupees.
The orbiter reached the Moon, but the Vikram lander lost contact in its final descent on 7 September 2019.
Vikram touched down about 69 degrees south. India became the fourth country to soft-land on the Moon.
Shubhanshu Shukla visited the ISS in 2025. PSLV failed in May 2025 and January 2026. The uncrewed Gaganyaan G1 is targeted for late 2026.
India began with a borrowed rocket and a church for a lab, and learned by building, failing and flying again.
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