ISRO’s 100th Launch

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s 100th launch lifted off in the early hours of January 29, 2025, from the Sriharikota spaceport on the southeastern coast. A column of fire sent the NVS-02 satellite into orbit, marking not just another successful mission but a milestone in India’s space programme. The agency, which began with borrowed rockets and launch pads in the 1960s, has now hit triple digits—an achievement built on steady, methodical progress rather than spectacle.

The satellite is part of NavIC, India’s homegrown navigation system, which will ensure India doesn’t have to depend on anyone else for positioning, timing, and tracking. The system covers the subcontinent and stretches about 1,500 kilometers beyond, useful not just for civilian navigation but also for military operations, disaster response, and maritime security. In a world where access to data can be shut off with a political decision, India is making sure it has control over its own signals.

This launch was made possible by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), a rocket built by ISRO on a tight budget with high stakes. Its first flight in 1993 failed, but ISRO continued to work on it until it became one of the most dependable launch vehicles in the world. In 2017, it set a then-world record by deploying 104 satellites in a single launch. The PSLV’s success wasn’t just about getting payloads into space—it made India a serious player in the global satellite market.

Meanwhile, India’s space sector was changing. For decades, ISRO handled everything—design, construction, and launch. But in the 2020s, policy reforms opened the gates for private companies. The creation of IN-SPACe, a government-backed regulator, meant startups could finally build and launch their own satellites. Companies like Pixxel and Dhruva Space seized the opportunity, pushing India’s space industry beyond government contracts into a commercial frontier.

ISRO, for its part, is not resting. In 2023, it did what no nation had done before by landing a spacecraft near the Moon’s south pole, a frozen vault of potential resources. That same year, Aditya-L1 left for its silent vigil at Lagrange Point 1, an unblinking eye fixed on the Sun. Now, it is preparing for Gaganyaan—the first mission to send Indian astronauts into orbit. The agency’s new chairman, V. Narayanan, addressed reporters after the NVS-02 launch, laying out the near future: NISAR, a joint Earth-observing mission with NASA equipped with advanced radar imaging capabilities, would lift off in months. The Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) was in development, a successor to the PSLV.

Clearly, after 100 launches, the ascent into deeper space has only just begun.

Isronavigation systemNGLVNVS-02 satellitePSLVSriharikota spaceportWeb Exclusive