Indian Space Research Organisation

Coordinates: 12°58′0″N 77°34′0″E / 12.96667°N 77.56667°E / 12.96667; 77.56667

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO, /ˈɪsroʊ/; Hindi: भारतीय अंतरिक्ष अनुसंधान संगठन; ; IAST: Bhāratiya Antarikṣa Anusaṃdhān Sangaṭhan; इसरो), is the space agency of the Indian government headquartered in the city of Bengaluru. Its vision is to "harness space technology for national development, while pursuing space science research and planetary exploration".

Formed in 1969, ISRO superseded the erstwhile Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), which was established in 1962 by the efforts of independent India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and his close aide and scientist Vikram Sarabhai. The establishment of ISRO thus institutionalised space activities in India. It is managed by the Department of Space, which reports to the Prime Minister of India.

ISRO built India's first satellite, Aryabhata, which was launched by the Soviet Union on 19 April in 1975. In 1980, Rohini became the first satellite to be placed in orbit by an Indian-made launch vehicle, SLV-3. ISRO subsequently developed two other rockets: the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for launching satellites into polar orbits and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) for placing satellites into geostationary orbits. These rockets have launched numerous communications satellites and earth observation satellites. Satellite navigation systems like GAGAN and IRNSS have been deployed. In January 2014, ISRO successfully used an indigenous cryogenic engine in a GSLV-D5 launch of the GSAT-14.