ISRO Indian Satellites List - Study

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General Knowledge has become an essential section of all SSC, banks & government
exams held in India. It requires, knowledge of a broad range of facts which at times is
hard to keep up. If you follow the ongoing trend, facts related to Science &
technology are being given a larger proportion. We are living in the era of Make in
India therefore, let's acknowledge the vast list of Indian Satellites as they form a
major number of questions asked in current affairs. Moreover, if you are interested in
taking any Online Mock Tests then click on the link to begin your preparation for any
competitive exam.

Before we look into the list of Indian Satellites, let's quickly learn few trivia about
Satellites.

#1. What is a Satellite?

Anything that orbits something else like the moon orbits the earth, is known as a
satellite. They are used for diverse purposes such as weather forecasting, television
broadcast, radio communications, internet communications, GPS, etc.

Generally, there are two types of satellites

 Natural (Moon orbiting the Earth)

 Artificial (International Space Station orbiting the Earth)

There are many natural and artificial satellites, out there in space, performing their
functions and making our lives back on earth easy in some or the other way. The

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artificial satellites as the name suggests are man made satellites from different
countries.

Let us look at the year - wise list of Indian Satellites with their purposes and also learn
about the organisation responsible for the Indian Space programmes.

#2. List of Indian Satellites

India has launched 84 satellites of various types since its first in

1975. The organisation responsible for Indian satellites is the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO). Run through the list of Indian satellites, listed year-
wise along with their purposes.

Indian Launched
Purpose
Satellites Date
19th - India's first satellite.
Aryabhata April - It was build to gain experience in building
1975 and operating a satellite in space.
7th
- First experimental remote sensing satellite.
Bhaskar June
- Carried TV and microwave cameras.
1979
Rohini 10th Intended for measuring in-flight performance of
Technology August first experimental flight of SLV-3,
Payload 1979 the first Indian launch vehicle.
18th
Rohini
July India's first indigenous satellite launch.
RS-1
1980

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 31st
Rohini Conducts remote sensing technology studies
May
RS-D1 using a landmark sensor payload.
1981
Ariane
19th
Passenger
June First experimental communication satellite.
Payload
1981
Experiment
20th
Bhaskara -
November Second experimental remote sensing satellite.
II
1981
10th
INSAT- First operational multi purpose
April
1A communication and meteorology satellite.
1982
17th
Rohini
April Identical to RS-D1
RS-D2
1983
30th
INSAT-1B August Earth observation satellite.
1983
Stretched
Rohini 24th Carried payload for launch vehicle
Satellite March performance monitoring
Series 1987 and for gamma ray astronomy.
(SROSS-1)
17th
IRS-1A March First operational remote sensing satellite
1988

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 Stretched
Rohini 13th Carried remote sensing payload of German
Satellite July space agency in addition to
Series 1988 Gamma Ray Astronomy payload.
(SROSS-2)
21st
INSAT-
July Same as INSAT-1A.
1C
1988
12th
INSAT-
June Identical to INSAT-1A.
1D
1990
29th
- Earth observation satellite.
IRS-1B August
- Improved version of IRS-1A
1991
- It was a communications Satellite,
26th
INSAT- earlier called as Arabsat.
February
2DT - After its retirement, it was placed
1992
in the Graveyard orbit
Stretched
Rohini 20th
Carried gamma ray astronomy
Satellite May
and astronomy payload.
Series 1992
(SROSS-C)
10th
INSAT- First satellite in the second-generation
July
2A Indian-built INSAT-2 series.
1992

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 23th
INSAT-
July Second satellite in INSAT-2 series.
2B
1993
20th
IRS-1E September Earth observation satellite
1993
Stretched
Rohini 4th
Satellite May Identical to SROSS-C.
Series 1994
(SROSS-C2)
15th
IRS-P2 October Earth observation satellite
1994
Has an additional capability such
7th
INSAT- as mobile satellite service, business
December
2C communication and television outreach
1995
beyond Indian boundaries.
29th
IRS-1C December Earth observation satellite
1995
21st
Carries remote sensing payload and an
IRS-P3 March
X-ray astronomy payload.
1996
4th
INSAT-
June Same as INSAT-2C.
2D
1997

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 29th
IRS-1D September Earth observation satellite.
1997
3rd
INSAT- Multipurpose communication and
April
2E meteorological satellite.
1999
- Carries an Ocean Color Monitor (OCM)
26th
Oceansat-1 and a Multi frequency
May-
(IRS-P4) Scanning Microwave Radiometer (MSMR).- Earth
1999
observation satellite.
22nd Multipurpose communication: business
INSAT-3B March communication, developmental communication,
2000 and mobile communication.
18th
Experimental satellite for the first developmental
GSAT-1 April
flight of Geosynchronous Satellite.
2001
Technology Experimental satellite to test
22nd
Experiment technologies such as attitude and orbit
October
Satellite control system, high-torque reaction wheels,
2001
(TES) new reaction control system, etc.
Designed to augment the existing
24th
INSAT capacity for communication
INSAT-3C January
and broadcasting and provide
2002
continuity of the services of INSAT-2C.
12th First meteorological satellite built by ISRO.
Kalpana-1
September Originally named METSAT.
(METSAT)
2002 Renamed after Kalpana Chawla.

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 10th Multipurpose satellite for communication,
INSAT-3A April broadcasting, and meteorological services along
2003 with INSAT-2E and Kalpana-1.
10th Experimental satellite for the second
GSAT-2 April developmental test flight
2003 of Geosynchronous Satellite.
28th
Communication satellite to augment
INSAT-3E September
the existing INSAT System.
2003
RESOURCE 17th - Earth observation/remote sensing satellite.
SAT-1 October - Intended to supplement and replace
(IRS-P6) 2003 IRS-1C and IRS-1D.
20th
EDUSAT October India’s first exclusive educational satellite.
2004
5th Micro satellite for providing satellite-based
HAMSAT May amateur radio services to the national as well as
2005 the international community.
22th
Provides stereographic in-orbit images
CARTOSAT-1 December
with a 2.5-meter resolution.
2005
10th
Advanced satellite for direct-to-home
INSAT-4A July
television broadcasting services.
2006
10th
INSAT-4C January Geosynchronous communications satellite.
2007

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 10th Advanced remote sensing satellite
CARTOSAT-2 January carrying a panchromatic camera capable
2007 of providing scene-specific spot images.
Space
Experimental satellite intended to demonstrate
Capsule 10th
the
Recovery January
technology of an orbiting platform for performing
Experiment 2007
experiments in micro gravity conditions.
(SRE-1)
12th Augments the INSAT capacity for direct-to-home
INSAT-4B March (DTH)
2007 television services and other communications.
It carried 12 high-power Ku-band transponders
2nd
designed
INSAT-4CR September
to provide direct-to-home (DTH) television
2007
services.
28th
CARTOSAT-2A April Earth observation/remote sensing satellite.
2008
IMS-1 (Third
28th
World
April Low-cost micro satellite imaging mission.
Satellite
2008
– TWsat)
22nd Carries 11 scientific instruments built in India,
Chandrayaan
October USA,
-1
2008 UK, Germany, Sweden and Bulgaria.
20th Radar imaging satellite used to monitor
RISAT-2 April India's borders and as part of anti-infiltration
2009 and anti-terrorist operations.

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 - Carries an amateur radio and technology
20th
demonstration experiments.
ANUSAT April
- Research micro satellite designed at Anna
2009
University.
23th - Gathers data for oceanographic,
Oceansat-
September coastal and atmospheric applications.
2(IRS-P4)
2009 - Continues mission of Oceansat-1.
15th
Communications satellite technology
GSAT-4 April
demonstrator.
2010
12th
CARTOSAT-
July Earth observation/remote sensing satellite.
2B
2010
- First Indian pico-satellite (weighing less than 1
12th
kg).
StudSat July
- Developed by a team from seven engineering
2010
colleges from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
GSAT-5P / 25th
INSAT- December C-band communication satellite.
4D 2010
RESOUR 20th
CESAT- April ISRO's eighteenth remote-sensing satellite
2 2011
20th
Indo-Russian stellar and atmospheric satellite
Youthsat April
with the participation of university students.
2011

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 Communications satellite carries
GSAT-8 / 21st
24 Ku-band transponders
INSAT- May
and 2 channel GAGAN payloads
4G 2011
operating in L1 and L5 band.
Extended C-band transponders to meet the
15th
country's
GSAT-12 July
growing demand for transponders in
2011
a short turn-around-time.
12th
Megha- Developed by India and France to track the
October
Tropiques weather.
2011
12th
Nano-satellite weighing 3 kg developed by IIT
Jugnu October
Kanpur.
2011
First indigenous all-weather Radar Imaging
26th
Satellite
RISAT-1 April
(RISAT-1), whose images will facilitate agriculture
2012
and disaster management.
26th
SRMSAT April Nano-satellite developed by SRM University.
2012
26th India’s advanced communication
GSAT-
April satellite is a high power satellite being
10
2012 inducted into the INSAT system.
The Satellite with ARGOS and
25th
ALTIKA (SARAL) is a joint
SARAL February
Indo-French satellite mission
2013
for oceanographic studies.

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 1st
IRNSS- It is one of the seven spacecraft constituting
July
1A the IRNSS space segment.
2013
26th
INSAT- Meteorological Satellite with advanced
July
3D weather monitoring payloads.
2013
30th
Advanced multi-band communication
GSAT-7 August
satellite dedicated for military use.
2013
Mars
5th
Orbiter Also known as Mangalyaan
November
Mission is India's first Mars orbiter.
2013
(MOM)
Twenty-third geostationary communication
5th
GSAT- satellite of India to augment
January
14 the In-orbit capacity of Extended C
2014
and Ku-band transponders.
4th
IRNSS-
April Second satellite of the IRNSS.
1B
2014
16th
IRNSS-
October Third satellite of the IRNSS.
1C
2014
7th Twenty-fourth communication satellite of India
GSAT-
December configured to carry a total of 48 communication
16
2014 transponders.

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 28th
IRNSS-
March Fourth satellite of the IRNSS
1D
2015
27th
GSAT-6 August Communication satellite.
2015
28th
India’s first dedicated multi wavelength space
Astrosat September
Observatory.
2015
Communications satellite carries communication
11th
transponders in Ku-band and a GPS Aided GEO
GSAT-15 November
Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload
2015
operating in L1 and L5 bands.
20th
IRNSS-
January Fifth satellite of the IRNSS.
1E
2016
10th
IRNSS-
March Sixth satellite of the IRNSS.
1F
2016
28th
IRNSS-
April Seventh and final satellite of the IRNSS.
1G
2016
22nd
Cartosat-
June Earth observation/remote sensing satellite.
2C
2016

#3. Indian Satellites - Important Facts

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  ISRO was formed on the Independence Day, 1969 by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai.
 SLV-3 was India's first indigenous satellite launch vehicle. The director of this
project was APJ Abdul Kalam.
 India is the only country to have reached Mars in the first attempt.
 The satellite Aryabhata got its name by Indira Gandhi and was launched by the
Soviet Union.
 India has set a national record by successfully launching a rocket carrying 20
satellites, including 13 from the US, last year in June.
 The government has announced to give the space agency a 23 per cent increase in
the budget.

We hope that the list of Indian Satellites you just read was helpful to you. For more such
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