Episode 86 of SfS — India’s Space Program — is now Live!
Hello again! In keeping with the theme of non-western space programs, this week’s episode was dedicated to the Indian space program — the India Space Research Organization (ISRO). Much like China’s space program, which was covered in a previous episode, India’s progress was incremental between the 1960s and 1980s. Nevertheless, the progress they made was foundational and allowed for many impressive developments by the turn of the century.
In addition, like other national space programs, India’s road to space was tied to the development of nuclear technology and weapons. Like China, India has also been forced to develop a number of technologies independently due to non-proliferation agreements and sanctions associated with the country’s nuclear testing. Last but not least, the steps they are currently taking parallel those of NASA and the Soviet space program during the “Space Race.”
This includes the development of heavier and heavier launch vehicles, the deployment of satellites, and sending robotic explorers to the Moon through the Chandrayaan program (“Moon vehicle”) and to Mars through the Mangalyaan program (“Mars vehicle”). All of this has served as a build-up to the creation of a crewed space program.
In the coming years, the ISRO will attempt to send “vyomanauts” to orbit for the first time as part of the Gaganyaan (“celestial vehicle”) program. They intend to follow this with the deployment of a space station, the Bharatiya Antariksha Station, which will facilitate their ultimate goal: sending crewed missions to the Moon and beyond by 2040. Follow the links below to learn more…
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Originally published at http://storiesbywilliams.com on November 2, 2024.
