List of Indian Satellites (1975-2023)

List of satellites from India from 1975 to 2023: India started its space research program in 1975 when Aryabhata was launched as India’s first satellite. From then till now India has developed significantly in satellite development and space technology. However, ISRO has successfully launched almost 150 satellites till the current day since 1975. Here in this article, we have discussed a List of Indian satellites till 2023, the Names of all artificial Satellites, specifications and more.

Well, the role of satellites has become an important part of our lives. They are crucial for scientific study, earth inspection, communication, navigation, as well as research.

A satellite is basically an object that orbits or circles around a bigger object in space. Usually, artificial satellites are objects or machines that are launched into space for different purposes. In India, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is the biggest space agency which is responsible for designing, manufacturing as well as launching, and operating Indian satellites.

Now, without further delay let’s explore the list of Indian satellites in space. But before that let’s get some knowledge about space satellites.

List of Indian Satellites from 1975 to 2023

The following is the list of Indian satellites launched by Indian space and Research Organization ISRO from 1975 to 2023:

Launching year	Indian Satellite Name	Importance of Indian Satellites
1975	Aryabhata	India’s first satellite.
1979	Bhaskara Sega-1	India’s first experimental remote sensing satellite which was responsible for TV and microwave cameras.
	Rohini Technology Payload	The First Indian launch vehicle Which was Failed to achieve its target orbit.
1980	Rohini RS-1	India’s first indigenous satellite launch was used for measuring the flight performance and more.
1981	Rohini RS-D1	It was launched as the first developmental launch of SLV-3, which had been using for sen
	Apple	It was first experimental communication satellite.
	Bhaskara-II	Second experimental remote sensing satellite by India.
1982	INSAT-1A	First operational multipurpose communication and meteorology satellite launched by India.
1983	Rohini RS-D2	Identical to RS-D1 but slight different.
	INSAT-1B	Identical to INSAT-1A with slight different in design.
1987	SROSS-1	It was designed for carrying a payload for launch vehicle for performance monitoring and for gamma-ray astronomy. unfortunately It was Failed to reach orbit.
1988	IRS-1A	It was India’s first operational remote sensing satellite.
	SROSS-2	It Carried remote sensing payload of the German space agency as well as gamma-ray astronomy payload.
	INSAT-1C	Similarity with INSAT-1A.
1990	INSAT-1D
1991	IRS-1B	Improved version of IRS-1A.
1992	INSAT-2DT	Launched as Arabsat 1C
	SROSS-C	It was built to carry gamma-ray astronomy and aeronomy payload.
	INSAT-2A	The first satellite in the second-generation Indian-built INSAT-2 series.
1993	INSAT-2B	It was the second satellite in the INSAT-2 series.
	IRS-1E	Earth observation satellite. Failed to achieve orbit.
1994	SROSS-C2	same as to SROSS-C.
	IRS-P2	It was Launched by the second developmental flight of PSLV.
1995	INSAT-2C	It has capabilities Like mobile satellite service, business communication as well as television outreach beyond Indian boundaries.
	IRS-1C	It was Launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome from India.
1996	IRS-P3	It was built to carry a remote sensing payload and an X-ray astronomy payload.
1997	INSAT-2D	Similarity with INSAT-2C.
	IRS-1D	Similarity with IRS-1C.
1999	INSAT-2E	It was unique Multipurpose communication and meteorological satellite.
	OceanSat-1	It carried an OCM and MSMR.
2000	INSAT-3B	Multipurpose communication satellite.
2001	GSAT-1	Experimental satellite for the first developmental flight of GSLV-D1. Failed to complete its mission.
	TES	It is considered a prototype for future Indian spy satellites.
2002	INSAT-3C	Augmented the INSAT capacity for communication and broadcasting
	Kalpana-1	First meteorological satellite built by ISRO.
2003	INSAT-3A	Multipurpose communication satellite, similar to INSAT-2E and Kalpana-1.
	GSAT-2	Experimental satellite for the second developmental test flight of GSLV.
	INSAT-3E	Communication satellite to augment the existing INSAT System.
	ResourceSat-1	Intended to supplement and replace IRS-1C and IRS-1D.
2004	GSAT-3	India’s first exclusive educational satellite.
2005	CartoSat-1	Earth observation satellite.
	HamSat	Micro-satellite built in collaboration with Indian and Dutch researchers.
	INSAT-4A	Advanced satellite for direct-to-home television broadcasting services.
2006	INSAT-4C	Geosynchronous communications satellite. Failed to achieve orbit.
2007	CartoSat-2	Advanced remote sensing satellite
	SRE-1	An experimental satellite that was launched as a co-passenger with CARTOSAT-2.
	INSAT-4B	Identical to INSAT-4A.
	INSAT-4CR	Identical to INSAT-4C.
2008	CartoSat-2A	Identical to CARTOSAT-2.
	IMS-1	It was a Low-cost microsatellite imaging mission. which was Launched as co-passenger with CARTOSAT-2A.
	Chandrayaan-1	India’s first unmanned lunar probe.
2009	RISAT-2	It was a Radar imaging satellite. which was Launched as a co-passenger with ANUSAT.
	AnuSat-1	Research micro-satellite. It has since been retired.
	OceanSat-2	Continues mission of OceanSat-1.
2010	GSAT-4	Communications satellite with technology demonstrator features. Failed to achieve orbit.
	CartoSat-2B	It has similarity with CartoSat-2A.
	StudSat	It was India’s first pico-satellite meaning lass than 1 kg in weight
	GSAT-5P	C-band communication satellite. unfortunately It Failed to reach the destination.
2011	ResourceSat-2	Identical to ResourceSat-1.
	YouthSat	Indo-Russian stellar and atmospheric mini-satellite.
	GSAT-8 or INSAT-4G	Communications Satellite
	GSAT-12	Augmented the capacity of the INSAT system for various communication services.
	Megha-Tropiques	Jointly developed by ISRO and the French CNES.
	Jugnu	Nano-satellite developed by IIT Kanpur.
	SRMSat	Nano-satellite developed by SRM Institute of Science and Technology.
2012	RISAT-1	India’s first indigenous all-weather Radar Imaging Satellite.
	GSAT-10	India’s advanced communication satellite.
2013	SARAL	Joint Indo-French satellite mission for oceanographic studies.
	IRNSS-1A	The first of seven satellites in the IRNSS navigational system.
	INSAT-3D	It is a meteorological Satellite with advanced weather monitoring payloads.
	GSAT-7	It is the advanced multi-band communication satellite dedicated to military use.
	Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) or Mangalyaan-1	India’s first Mars orbiter.
2014	GSAT-14	Intended to replace GSAT-3, and to augment the in-orbit capacity of Extended C and Ku-band transponders.
	IRNSS-1B	It is the second of seven satellites in the IRNSS system.
	IRNSS-1C	It is the third satellite in the IRNSS.
	GSAT-16	It has the highest number of transponders in a single satellite at that time (48 transponders).
2015	IRNSS-1D	It is the fourth satellite in the IRNSS.
	GSAT-6	Communication satellite that marks the success of indigenously developed upper stage cryogenic engine.
	Astrosat	India’s first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory.
	GSAT-15	Communications satellite.
2016	IRNSS-1E	It was the fifth satellite in the IRNSS.
	IRNSS-1F	It was the sixth satellite in the IRNSS.
	IRNSS-1G	It was the seventh satellite in the IRNSS.
	Cartosat-2C	Identical to CARTOSAT-2,2A and 2B.
	SathyabamaSat	It was a micro-satellite which was built by Sathyabama University, Chennai.
	Swayam-1	It was a A 1-U pico-satellite designed It was actually built by the engineering students of pune.
	INSAT-3DR	An advanced meteorological satellite
	Pratham	It was A mini-satellite built by researchers at IIT Mumbai.
	PISat	A micro-satellite designed and built by the students of PES Institute of Technology, Bengaluru.
	ScatSat-1	Miniature satellite to provide weather forecasting, cyclone prediction, and tracking services to India.
	GSAT-18	The heaviest satellite owned by India at the time of its launch.
	ResourceSat-2A	Identical to Resourcesat-1 and Resourcesat-2.
2017	CartoSat-2D	ISRO made a world record for launching the highest number of satellites by a single launch vehicle. that was phenomeal
	INS-1A	It was One of the 2 nano-satellites designed and manufactured by ISRO, which was part of the constellation of 104 satellites launched in a single go.
	INS-1B	One of 2 nano-satellites designed and manufactured by ISRO, as part of the constellation of 104 satellites launched in a single go.
	South Asia Satellite
	GSAT-19	It was the heaviest rocket (and the heaviest satellite) to be launched by ISRO from Indian soil.
	NIUSat	It is built by the students of Noorul Islam University, Kanyakumari.
	CartoSat-2E	7th satellite in the Cartosat series to be built by ISRO.
	GSAT-17	India’s 18th communication (and to date, its heaviest) satellite
	IRNSS-1H	First satellite to be co-designed and built-in collaboration with private sector assistance. Failed to achieve orbit.
2018	CartoSat-2F	6th satellite in the Cartosat series to be built by ISRO.
	MicroSat-TD	It is a technology demonstrator and the forerunner for future satellites in this series.
	INS-1C	Third satellite in the Indian Nanosatellite series. It will carry MMX-TD Payload from SAC.
	GSAT-6A	A high power S-band communication satellite. It will also provide a platform for developing technologies.
	IRNSS-II	Eighth satellite of IRNSS.
	GSAT-29	High-throughput Communication Satellite
	HySIS	Hyperspectral imaging services for agriculture, forestry, resource mapping, geographical assessment and military applications.
	ExseedSat-1	India’s first privately funded and built satellite.
	GSAT-11	Heaviest Indian spacecraft in orbit to date.
	GSAT-7A	Services for IAF and Indian Army.
2019	Microsat-R	Suspected to have been destroyed in the 2019 Indian anti-satellite missile test.
	PS4 Stage attached with KalamSAT-V2	Used PSLV’s 4th stage as an orbital platform.
	GSAT-31	Replacement of the ageing INSAT-4CR.
	EMISAT	Electromagnetic intelligence to track any enemy radars for IAF.
	PS4 Stage attached with ExseedSat-2, AMSAT, ARIS and AIS payloads	Utilization of the fourth stage directly as a satellite for experiments.
	RISAT-2B	Successor to old RISAT-2.
	Orbiter of Chandrayaan-2	India’s second lunar exploration mission.
	Cartosat-3	One of the optical satellites with the highest resolutions in the world.
	RISAT-2BR1	Improved resolution of 0.35 metres.
2020	GSAT-30	Replacement of INSAT-4A.
	EOS-01	Space-based synthetic aperture imaging radar.
	CMS-01	Extended C-band coverage for mainland India, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
2021	Sindhu Netra	Earth observation satellite used by Indian Navy for surveillance over the Indian Ocean.
	SDSat	This Nanosatellite was developed by Space Kidz India to study radiations. It carried 25,000 names and a copy of Bhagavad Gita into space.
	JITSat	Developed by JIT as part of UNITYSat constellation.
	GHRCESat	Developed by GHRCE as part of UNITYSat constellation.
	Sri Shakthi Sat	Developed by SIET as part of UNITYSat constellation.
	EOS-03	India’s first real-time Earth observation satellite and first satellite of the GISAT constellation.
Upcoming Satellites
2022	RISAT-1A	Radar imaging satellite to facilitate high-quality images and additional security to Indian borders.
	OCEANSAT-3	Earth observation satellite for oceanographic and atmospheric studies.
	GSAT-20	Communication satellite to add data transmission capacity required by Smart Cities Mission of India.
	GISAT-2	Multispectral and hyperspectral Earth-imaging satellite.
	Aditya-L1	Solar coronal observation spacecraft.
	GSAT-32	Communications satellite.
	TDS-01	A technology demonstrator for TWTA and atomic clock.
	SPADEX x 2	Demonstration of rendezvous space docking and berthing of spacecraft.
	GSAT-7R	Military communications satellite.
	DRSS-1	Communications satellite comprising two satellites in the initial stage– CMS-04 and IDRSS-2 in GEO.
	DRSS-2
	X-ray Polarimeter Satellite	Space observatory to study polarization of cosmic X-rays Investigation.
	INSAT 3DS	Military purposes
2022-23	GSAT-7C	Military Purposes.
	AstroSat-2	It is a space telescope and successor of AstroSat-1.
2023	NISAR	A joint mission between ISRO and NASA is a dual-frequency synthetic aperture on an Earth observation satellite from India.
2024	Lunar Polar Exploration Mission	Joint lunar exploration mission between ISRO and JAXA.
2024-25	Mangalyaan-2	It will be India’s second Mars exploration mission.
2025	DISHA	Twin aeronomy satellite mission.
2024-26	Shukrayaan-1	Venus exploration satellite.

List of Indian Artificial Satellites

The following is the list of Artificial Satellites of India:

Type of Artificial Satellites of India	Purpose
Communication Satellites	They help in making the process of telecommunications, broadcasting, and internet services very easy. These satellites are important because they connect different remote locations.
Earth Observation Satellites	These satellites help in collecting images and data of the surface of the Earth. This info is very helpful in various sectors such as agriculture, disaster management, and development in urban areas.
Navigation Satellites	These satellites help in providing pin-point information about location and timing. These satellites are very important for GPS tracking and many navigation systems.
Scientific Satellites	These satellites are basically designed to do scientific experiments and space research. These types of satellites help us in knowing more about the Universe.
Weather Satellites	The Weather satellites are responsible for monitoring the conditions of the atmosphere. These type of satellites help in forecasting the weather & disaster management.
Interplanetary Missions	India has also successfully done missions which are between planets and are known as Interplanetary Missions. The Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) is one of them.

How Many Satellites Has India Launched?

India has launched 431 satellites for 34 countries as of 30 July 2023.

The satellites that have been launched by India are of different types, they have different functions & responsibilities.

Currently the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has launched various communication satellites and earth observation satellites. India has also completed interplanetary missions such as Chandrayaan-1 and Mars Orbiter Mission or Mangalyaan.

India also became first nation to land on South Pole of moon and discover water on moon with it’s Chandrayaan-3 mission.

First Satellite Launched by India

The first satellite was The Aryabhata spacecraft. This satellite was named after the great ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer known as Aryabhata.

It was launched on 19 April,1975 using a Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket from the Kapustin Yar launch site. The launch of this satellite was very important for India because this launch marked the beginning of India’s space exploration program.

The successful launch of this satellite paved the way for India’s next satellite launches and numerous space missions.

List of Artificial Satellites Launched by India (1975-2023)

The following is the list of Artificial satellites launched by India:

1. Indian Satellites from 1975-1995

1. Aryabhata (1975): This was India’s first satellite which was named after the famous & ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer called Aryabhata. The successful launch of this satellite marked the beginning of India’s space program.
2. Rohini Series (1980-1994): Different satellites of these types were produced and designed mainly to do scientific and technological research purposes.
3. INSAT Series (1983 onwards): The Indian National Satellite System is a formation of many geostationary satellites which has completely changed the communication domain, television broadcasting, and the science of meteorology in India.

2. Satellites of India from 1995-2023

1995-2000

1. IRS Series (1995 onwards): The Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites have been significant in observation of the earth, natural resource management, and disaster surveillance.
2. GSAT Series (2001 onwards): The GSAT series of communication satellites have enhanced telecommunication and broadband services throughout the country.

2000-2011

1. CARTOSAT Series (2005 onwards): These are high-resolution earth observation satellites, which are used for cartography, urban planning, and development of infrastructure.
2. RISAT Series (2009 onwards): The Radar imaging satellites are mainly used for all-weather, day-and-night earth observation.
3. Chandrayaan-1 (2008): India’s first lunar probe, which made prominent discoveries about the surface of the Moon.

2011-2020

1. Astrosat (2015): It is the first multi-wavelength space observatory in India for cosmic research.
2. Chandrayaan-2 (2019): It was the second lunar exploration mission that had an orbiter, lander, and rover.
3. NavIC (2018): It stands for Navigation with Indian Constellation, it is a regional navigation satellite system. It functions just like a GPS.

2021-2023

1. GSAT-24 (2021): This is basically a communication satellite. The main function or responsibility of this type of satellite is to provide better connectivity.
2. EOS-04 (2021): It is basically an earth observation satellite, used to observe the earth from above. It consists of a synthetic aperture radar which is very helpful in carrying out its operations.
3. Gaganyaan (In Work): By this mission India is aiming to send its astronauts into space. This will be India’s human spaceflight mission.

Conclusion on Indian Satellites

India has made re­markable strides in satellite­ production, design, and space technology. It all starte­d with the successful launch of the Aryabhata sate­llite, which served as a catalyst for ambitious missions like­ Chandrayaan and Gaganyaan. India’s goals are highly ambitious, including launching more satellite­s and expanding its activities in interplane­nary exploration and human spaceflight missions.

The Indian Space­ Research Organisation (ISRO) has eme­rged as a pioneering force­ behind these advance­ments. With their innovative Indian sate­llites, India has made significant strides in transforming communication, navigation, and addre­ssing crucial aspects like disaster manage­ment, agriculture, and climate monitoring.

As a re­sult of these remarkable­ achievements, India has be­come an influential player in the­ field of space exploration, bringing forth vast opportunitie­s in science and technology.

FAQs on List of Indian Satellites

1. How many satellites India has launched into space till 2023?

Till 2023, India has launched approximately 431 satellites into space for multiple purposes. These purpose include communication, earth observation, navigation, and scientific research.

2. Who is called the founding Father of Indian Space Program.

Dr. Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai is known as the Founding father of Indian Space program. ISRO named the Vikram lander, a component of India’s Chandrayaan-2 lunar mission after Dr. Vikram Sarabhai.

3. What was the name of the first satellite launched by India?

The name of India’s first launched satellite was Aryabhata. This satellite was launched in the year 1975. This satellite was named after the great ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer called Aryabhata.

4. What are the name of some of India’s remarkable space missions?

Some of India’s remarkable space missions are, Chandrayaan-1, Chandrayaan-2, Mangalyaan or Mars Orbiter Mission, etc.

5. What is NavIC satellite system and how it works?

The NavIC or Navigation with Indian Constellation is a regional navigation satellite system of India, it works just like a GPS or global positioning system. It is important because it provides the exact positioning, location and timing info for different types of applications. These applications include navigation, disaster management, etc.

6. What are the functions of IRS satellites?

The Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites have been significant in observation of the earth, natural resource management, and disaster surveillance.

7. How many satellites India have?

As of 2023 India own total 134 satellites Indian satellites as well as of private operator academic institutions and other organizations. The government also owns 23 & 29 operation satellites in LEO and GEO. Currently Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter is active in lunar orbit launched by India.

8. Which satellites launched by India in 2023?

The second developmental flight of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), SSLV-D2 is successfully launched on 10 February2023 at 09:18 hours IST from the first launch pad at SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota as of mission of SSLV-D2/EOS-07 mission.