2018 was a remarkable year for India’s space agency ISRO—Here were the top 5 successful missions

2018 proved to be one of the busiest years for Indian Space Research Organisation.

From launching 31 satellites in one go to rolling plans about India’s second lunar exploration mission in 2019, the country took several steps to mark its presence among the top space explorers around the globe.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was on a launching spree in the last six months. Here’s a quick review of top 5 achievements by ISRO in 2018-

India's mega satellite launch aboard PSLV-C43

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite (HySIS) along with 30 other foreign commercial satellites on 28th November from the Sriharikota launch centre using the PSLV C43 rocket. Hyperspectral imaging allows the satellites to identify objects from outer space.

With the launch, S. Pandian, the director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR - ISRO, said that ISRO has achieved a landmark of launching 270 satellites from 28 countries.

‘The Big Bird’, GSAT-11 — launched, to boost internet connectivity
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Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 5 December successfully launched the country’s heaviest satellite GSAT-11 on board space vehicle Ariane 5 — that will advance the broadband connectivity in India from French Guiana.

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With the launch of GSAT-11, India will be able to provide about 16 GBPS data link services across India, said NDTV citing ISRO Chairman K Sivan.


GSAT-29, heaviest rocket launched

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India also launched its latest communication satellite GSAT-29 to bridge the digital divide of users including those in Jammu & Kashmir and North Eastern regions of India on 14th November.

The GSAT-29 onboard Ka/Ku-band high throughput communication transponders that will help internet users in India meet their communication requirements.


"Mission Accomplished": India puts GSAT-7A into orbit

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 19th December successfully launched a GSAT-7A, a military communication satellite dedicated to the Indian Air Force. GSAT-7A will boost the communication capabilities of the Indian Air Force and may also monitor unmanned aerial vehicles and drone of IAF.


A ride to space in 2019

In a first, PM Narendra Modi announced a deadline for India’s first manned space. He claimed that Indian Space Research Organisation will be sending an astronaut by 2022.

While the country is still working on achieving its dream project, what grabbed everyone’s attention was the buzz about government spending on the mission. It is going to cost $1.4 billion, much less than what other countries like the United States and Russia spent on similar mission.


Going forward, the agency says it has plans to launch 32 missions in 2019 including Chandrayaan-2.