The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up to launch a 6,500-kilogram communications satellite built by the United States in the upcoming months. This announcement was made by ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan during a recent event. Narayanan stated that the launch will occur after the successful launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission on July 30 via the GSLV-F16 rocket. The upcoming mission will place another American-built satellite into orbit.
During the 21st convocation at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology in Kattan-kulathur, Narayanan received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the Governor of Maharashtra, C.P. Radhakrishnan. In his speech, Narayanan reflected on the origins of ISRO in 1963, a time when India was considerably behind developed nations in space technology.
He recalled that the Indian space program began with a small rocket provided by the United States in 1963. Narayanan explained that in 1975, ISRO used satellite data provided by the US to test public communication by installing 2,400 television sets in 2,400 villages across six Indian states.
Narayanan also noted that the launch of the NISAR satellite on July 30, 2025, marked a historic achievement for the Indian space program. The NISAR mission is the most expensive of its kind, with the L-band SAR payload provided by the US and the S-band payload by ISRO. The satellite was successfully placed into orbit by an Indian launcher (GSLV), indicating India’s progress in the global space arena.
Narayanan mentioned that NASA praised ISRO for the precision launch of the GSLV-F16/NISAR mission. He pointed out the significant development of India, which started its space program with a donated rocket and is now set to launch a large US communications satellite using its own launch vehicle.
Furthermore, Narayanan highlighted that ISRO, which lacked satellite technology 50 years ago, has now launched 433 satellites for 34 countries using its own launch vehicles. He noted ISRO’s contributions during Operation Sindoor, where satellite technology ensured the safety of Indian citizens.
Referring to past missions, Narayanan mentioned the successful identification of water molecules on the lunar surface during the Chandrayaan-1 mission, and the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which achieved a soft landing on the moon’s south pole. He also highlighted India’s accomplishment in launching 104 satellites into orbit using a single rocket, surpassing the Russian record.
