North News
New Delhi, January 29
India’s space agency ISRO achieved a historic milestone on Wednesday with the 100th launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The GSLV-F15 rocket lifted off at 6:23 AM IST, carrying the NVS-02 satellite for India’s NavIC navigation system. The successful launch underscores India’s growing space capabilities and strengthens its regional satellite navigation network. Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh hailed the achievement, calling it a “quantum leap” for India’s space program under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reforms.
“From humble beginnings with Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan, ISRO has come a long way,” Singh said, praising the agency for making India proud once again.
Sharing details, Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasized that while ISRO was established in 1969, it took more than two decades to set up the first launch pad in 1993. “The second launch pad came up only in 2004, marking another decade-long gap. However, in the last 10 years, India’s space sector has undergone unprecedented expansion, both in terms of infrastructure and investment,” he said. “This 100th launch marks a quantum leap in the space sector, which did not happen in the last six decades. We are now building a third launch pad in Sriharikota, and for the first time, expanding beyond Sriharikota with a new launch site in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district, where the foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Modi last year in February,” he further said.
The Minister also underlined the rapid rise of private sector participation in space. “In 2021, we had barely a single-digit number of space startups. Today, we are nearing 300, many of which are world-class enterprises and entrepreneurial success stories. India is positioning itself as a frontline player in the global private space sector,” he noted. This growth has translated into real economic impact—investment in the sector has surged, with Rs 1,000 crore invested in 2023 alone. The space economy, currently valued at $8 billion, is projected to reach $44 billion in the next decade, further cementing India’s role as a global space powerhouse.
Dr. Jitendra Singh also highlighted India’s growing dominance in commercial space launches. “Today, 90% of foreign satellite launches are being carried out through ISRO, reflecting the global confidence in our capabilities,” he said. The reforms initiated in the past decade, including the unlocking of the space sector for private players, have led to greater innovation, investment, and international collaborations.
