Launch of Vyommitra, NISAR sat; list of Isro's top launches in 2025 is here

In the first half of 2025, Isro has scheduled several key missions, which include the launch of the NVS-02 navigation satellite, unmanned Gaganyaan mission featuring Vyommitra, and many more

This year is going to be a busy one for Isro as space minister Jitendra Singh announced Tuesday that half a dozen crucial missions are scheduled to launch in the first half of 2025. 

 

Multiple launches will take place this year which include the world's most expensive Indo-US earth imaging satellite, NISAR.

 

Singh gave a press conference where he stated that Isro will launch an advanced navigation satellite NVS-02 in January, which will be the 100th mission of Isro. 

 

Isro will send Vyommitra, a female humanoid, to space and it will be part of the unmanned Gaganyaan mission. This mission will be exactly like the final manned Gaganyaan mission, except for the presence of humans. After the success of the Vyommitra mission, India plans to send its own astronauts to space. 

 

 

NISAR, the joint Nasa-Isro mission is reportedly the world's most expensive satellite at Rs 12,505 crore which is scheduled to launch in March. “This satellite will scan nearly all land and ice every 12 days and will have very high resolution,” the minister said.

 

Isro started operation in 1969 and by that time the US was busy sending humans to the Moon. Singh stated that the situation has changed now and Isro is launching US satellites as he refers to the upcoming commercial launch of a satellite for an American customer, which will be used for mobile communication.

 

Singh also stated that the LVM3-M5 mission is scheduled for the first quarter for an international customer. According to him, India is launching a satellite for direct mobile communication for the US by Feb or March, showcasing our evolving abilities. 

India earned $400 million last decade

India generated $400 million in revenue from commercial satellites in the last decade for the US and the EU. 

 

“So far, Isro has generated $172 million in revenue by launching satellites for the US, and €292 million ($304 million) for the EU. Out of this, $157 million from US launches and €260 million ($271 million) from EU launches have come in the past decade alone. This shows the kind of progress that India has made in the space economy, and its current stature as a leading spacefaring nation,” Singh added.  

 

India is expected to earn more revenue through such launches in the coming year. 

India launched 15 missions

Dr Rajeev Jaiswal, associate director (EO division) of Isro said India launched 15 missions in 2024 which included some technology demonstration missions and commercial launches.

 

“We started the year with XPoSat mission on Jan 1, then Aditya L1 solar mission involving sending the Indian spacecraft to the halo orbit of the Sun was launched on Jan 6; INSAT-3DS mission was launched on Feb 17; third and final development flight of on-demand small rocket SSLV carrying an EOS-08 satellite was launched on Aug 16; NSIL’s commercial launch of Gsat-N2 happened on Nov 19; PSLV C59 carrying Europe's PROBA-3 mission was launched on Dec 5; and finally the SpaDeX mission successfully lifted off from Sriharikota on Dec 30,” Jaiswal said.

Isro’s upcoming mission in 2025

As of January 1, 2025, space minister Jitendra Singh shared information about the Isro’s space missions scheduled for the first half of 2025. He said several significant missions are planned for the year, including:

• NVS-02 Navigation Satellite: This satellite is part of India's navigation system, enhancing the country's positioning and timing capabilities.
• Unmanned Gaganyaan Mission: Featuring Vyommitra, a humanoid robot, this mission is a precursor to India's crewed spaceflight endeavors, aiming to test systems and gather data for future human missions.
• Indo-US NISAR Satellite: A collaborative Earth observation mission between ISRO and NASA, NISAR is designed to monitor global environmental changes and natural disasters.