India's growing space ambitions: List of Isro's major achievements in 2024

India's premier space agency Isro had an eventful 2024, a year marked with ambitious new launches and technology demonstrations. Here's a look at the highlights

Building on its inexorable track record in the development and deployment of crucial space exploration technologies, India’s premier space agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) achieved some major milestones in the year 2024. The agency’s phenomenal success has helped grow the country into a powerful space-faring nation, placing it among the top five nations.

 

The country’s space programme has set audacious goals in the next two decades, fuelled by the successful development of powerful, reusable rockets and next generational launch vehicle (NGLV). One of Isro’s most crucial projects is the Gaganyaan mission, which will launch an Indian crew to space for the first time. The year 2024 saw significant groundwork being laid for the human spaceflight project which will demonstrate the country’s ability to launch and sustain human presence in space and beyond. 

 

 

In 2024, India achieved many significant milestones in space exploration and technology development. Here are some of the major accomplishments:

 

XPOSAT launch

 

India’s premier space agency kicked off 2024 with the launch of the PSLV-C58 X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) from SDSC in Sriharikota, on 1 January, 2024. This was the first dedicated Isro satellite to study space-based polarisation measurements of X-ray emission from celestial sources. The successful launch put India in an elite category as it became the second nation to send an observatory to study astronomical sources such as black holes, neutron stars among others. This was only the second X-ray polarimetry mission in the world, after Nasa’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE).

 

Aditya-L1 reaches halo orbit

 

Isro marked a significant milestone when India’s maiden solar mission Aditya-L1 reached the L1 point on 6 January, 2024, after it was launched on 2 September, 2023. After travelling a distance of 1.5-million km, the spacecraft was placed in a halo orbit around L1 following a firing manoeuvre which was carried out by Isro scientists and engineers in Bengaluru. 

 

Aditya-L1 will have an unhindered view of the sun, without any occultation or eclipse and will enable scientists to study the home star in unprecedented detail. The spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere, and the outermost layer of the sun (corona) using electromagnetic and particle detectors.

 

INSAT-3DS satellite launch

 

On 17 February, Isro successfully launched the INSAT-3DS weather satellite into space aboard the heavy-lift Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk-II (GSLV-MkII). Designed to operate in space for 10 years, it aims to boost the country’s environment monitoring, oceanic observations, weather forecasting, and disaster relief operations. 

 

The INSAT-3DS, a state-of-the-art meteorological satellite, marked the latest addition to India's third-generation satellites in geostationary orbit. Isro earlier launched INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR, to improve the country’s weather observation and analysis capability, with INSAT-3DR having been operational since September 2016.

 

Pushpak (RLV LEX-02) successfully tested

 

On 22 March, Isro achieved a major milestone in the area of Reusable launch Vehicle (RLV) technology, through the RLV LEX-02 landing experiment, the second of the series. After the RLV-LEX-01 mission was accomplished in 2023, RLV-LEX-02 demonstrated the autonomous landing capability of RLV from off-nominal initial conditions at release from a helicopter. 

 

The RLV was made to undertake more complex manoeuvres with dispersions, correct both cross-range and downrange and land on the runway in a fully autonomous mode. The winged vehicle, called Pushpak, was lifted by an Indian Airforce Chinook helicopter and was released from 4.5 km altitude. With this mission, Isro re-validated the indigenously developed technologies in the areas of navigation, control systems, landing gear and deceleration systems essential for performing a high-speed autonomous landing of a space-returning vehicle.

 

RLV LEX-03 automatic landing successful

 

Isro scripted a third consecutive success in the RLV Landing EXperiment (LEX) on 23 June, which was the final test in the series of LEX (03). During the test, Pushpak autonomously executed cross-range correction manoeuvres, approached the runway and performed a precise horizontal landing at the runway centreline. This mission simulated the approach and landing interface and high-speed landing conditions for a vehicle returning from space, reaffirming Isro’s expertise in acquiring the most critical technologies required for the development of a RLV.

 

Second successful test of ATV D03

 

On 22 July, Isro successfully carried out the second experimental flight for the demonstration of Air Breathing Propulsion Technology, mounting the propulsion systems on either side of a RH-560 Sounding rocket. The flight test achieved satisfactory performance of the Sounding Rocket along with successful ignition of the Air Breathing propulsion systems. RH-560 is a two-stage, solid motor based sub-orbital rocket designed to be used as a cost-effective flying test bed for the demonstration of advanced technologies.

 

Successful launch of SSLV-D3

 

The Indian space agency successfully launched the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV)-D3 from SDSC in Sriharikota, on 16 August, placing the EOS-08 earth observation satellite into orbit. This was the third and final developmental flight for the SSLV, which has been developed for low-cost multiple satellite launches.

 

India's first Analog Space Mission (Hab-1)

 

On 1 November, Isro began the country’s first Analog Space Mission (Hab-1) from Leh, capturing global headlines. It involved creating a space-like environment on Earth, to familiarise astronauts with the challenges of space and train them. The location in Leh was chosen for this mission due to its terrain, which closely resembles the surface of Mars. This mission is aimed at simulating life in an interplanetary habitat to tackle the challenges of a base station beyond Earth.

 

Europe satellite Proba-3 launched

 

On 5 December, proving its reliability once again, Isro’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) successfully launched the European Space Agency's (ESA) Proba-3 satellites into their designated orbit. In its 61st flight, the PSLV undertook a high-profile mission, tasked with deploying a pair of satellites as part of ESA's groundbreaking Proba-3 project. These satellites are designed to simulate a total solar eclipse using precision formation flying in space, a technological first in space exploration.

 

Upcoming missions 

 

Isro is taking the first giant step towards launching the country’s own space station and interplanetary missions by launching the SpaDeX mission on 30 December 30. This mission involves development and demonstration of a cost-effective technology required to dock and undock spacecraft in space using its PSLV-C60 rocket.

 

India will become the fourth country in the world to have space docking technology when this mission is successful. SpaDeX will represent an important technological milestone in India and help power the country’s space ambitions such as landing an Indian on the Moon, sample return from the Moon, and building and operation of Bharatiya Antariksh Station.

 

On 27 February, India took its first steps towards the realisation of its human spaceflight ambitions when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the names of the astronauts for India's first manned mission, Gaganyaan. Isro on 18 December commenced the assembly of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (HLVM3) for the Gaganyaan mission’s maiden uncrewed flight and the uncrewed flight is expected to take place early next year from the spaceport. 

 

Expected to be launched by the end of 2026, Gaganyaan envisages a demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission and bringing them back safely to Earth.

 

One more crucial milestone in India’s space ambitions in 2024 was the Union Cabinet approval of the Venus Orbit Mission (VOM) and Chandrayaan-4 missions, on September 18.  A sum of Rs 1236 crore was approved for the exploration of Venus, out of which Rs 1.21 crore will be spent on the spacecraft. The mission involves the study of the surface and subsurface of Venus, its atmospheric processes and the influence of the Sun on the atmosphere of the planet. 

 

The government has approved Rs 2,104 crore for the Chandrayaan-4 mission. In this mission, samples of the lunar surface and soil will be collected and brought back for research. 

 

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also approved the building of the first unit of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (India’s own space station) by extending the scope of Gaganyaan program. The approval for the development of the first module of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS-1) and related missions to demonstrate and validate various technologies for building and operating BAS was given.