ISRO launched EOS-01 (Earth Observation Satellite) using PSLV-C49 in November 2020. This article provides the complete list of satellites launched by India till 2020. This is an important topic for UPSC and other government exams.
What is a Satellite?
The satellite is an artificial object which has been deliberately put into space for different purposes like remote sensing, weather forecasting, image mapping, education, and research.
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List of Indian Satellites – (1975 – 2021)
India has been successfully launching satellites of various types since 1975. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is considered as the Sole Space agency of India and was formed in 1969. The Headquarters of ISRO is in Bangalore. A. S. Kiran Kumar is the present Chairman of ISRO.
The table below gives us a list of various satellites of India that were launched between 1975-2021. As of 3rd February 2021, no satellite has been launched in 2021 (Jan/Feb). Any new satellite launched by ISRO will be updated in the table below:
| Launch year | Satellite | Importance |
| 1975 | Aryabhata | First Indian Satellite. It gave valuable technological know-how about satellites. |
| 1979 | Bhaskara-I | First experimental remote sensing satellite that carried TV and microwave cameras. |
| 1979 | Rohini Technology Payload | The first Indian launch vehicle. |
| 1980 | Rohini RS-1 | India’s first indigenous satellite launch. |
| 1981 | Rohini RS-D1 | Launched by the first developmental launch of SLV-3 and carried a solid-state camera. |
| 1981 | Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment | First experimental communication satellite. |
| 1981 | Bhaskara-II | Second experimental remote sensing satellite. |
| 1982 | INSAT-1A | First operational multipurpose communication and meteorology satellite. |
| 1983 | Rohini RS-D2 | Carried a smart sensor camera. |
| 1983 | INSAT-1B | Very successful. Revolutionized TV, radio, and telecommunications. |
| 1987 | SROSS-1 | Less Accomplishment. |
| 1988 | IRS-1A | Earth observation satellite. |
| 1988 | SROSS-2 | Less Accomplishment. |
| 1988 | INSAT-1C | Less Accomplishment. |
| 1990 | INSAT-1D | Still operational. |
| 1991 | IRS-1B | Earth observation satellite. |
| 1992 | SROSS-C | Carried gamma-ray astronomy and aeronomy payload. |
| 1992 | INSAT-2DT | It was launched as Arabsat 1C. |
| 1992 | INSAT-2A | First satellite in the second-generation Indian-built INSAT-2 series. |
| 1993 | INSAT-2B | Second satellite in INSAT 2 series. |
| 1993 | IRS-1E | Earth observation satellite. |
| 1994 | SROSS-C2 | Less Accomplishment. |
| 1994 | IRS-P2 | Earth observation satellite. Launched by second developmental flight of PSLV. |
| 1995 | INSAT-2C | Still in operation. Has television outreach beyond Indian boundaries. |
| 1995 | IRS-1C | Earth observation satellite. |
| 1994 | IRS-P2 | Earth observation satellite. |
| 1996 | IRS-P3 | Earth observation satellite. |
| 1997 | INSAT-2D | Inoperable since 1997-10-04 due to power bus anomaly. |
| 1997 | IRS-1D | Earth observation satellite. |
| 1999 | INSAT-2E | Multipurpose communication and meteorological satellite. |
| 1999 | IRS-P4 OCEANSAT | Earth observation satellite carrying a Multifrequency Scanning Microwave Radiometer (MSMR)and an Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM). |
| 2000 | INSAT-3B | Multipurpose communication satellite. |
| 2001 | GSAT-1 | Experimental satellite for the first developmental flight of GSLV-D1. |
| 2001 | Technology Experiment Satellite (TES) | Experimental satellite to test new reaction control system, high-torque reaction wheels, and attitude and orbit control system. |
| 2001 | INSAT-3C | Designed to provide continuity of the services of INSAT-2C and augment the existing INSAT capacity for communication and broadcasting. |
| 2002 | Kalpana-1 (METSAT) | First meteorological satellite built by Indian Space Research Organisation. |
| 2003 | INSAT-3A | Multipurpose satellite for communication, broadcasting, and meteorological services along with and Kalpana-1 and INSAT-2E. |
| 2003 | GSAT-2 | Experimental satellite for the 2nd developmental test flight of GSLV. |
| 2003 | INSAT-3E | Communication satellite to augment the existing INSAT System |
| 2003 | RESOURCESAT-1 (IRS-P6) | Most advanced Remote Sensing Satellite |
| 2004 | EDUSAT (GSAT-3) | India’s first satellite exclusively for education |
| 2005 | HAMSAT | Microsatellite for radio services to national and international community |
| 2005 | CARTOSAT-1 | Earth observation satellite |
| 2005 | INSAT-4A | Direct-to-home(DTH) TV broadcasting |
| 2006 | INSAT-4C | Geosynchronous communications satellite |
| 2007 | CARTOSAT-2 | Remote sensing satellite-carrying panchromatic camera |
| 2007 | SRE-1 (Space Capsule Recovery Experiment) | Test satellites to show an orbiting platform for performing tests in microgravity conditions |
| 2007 | INSAT-4B | Similar to INSAT-4A |
| 2007 | INSAT-4CR | Identical to INSAT-4C |
| 2008 | CARTOSAT-2A | Similar to CARTOSAT-2 |
| 2008 | IMS-1 | Low-cost micro-satellite |
| 2008 | Chandrayaan-1 | India’s first lunar probe |
| 2009 | RISAT-2 | Radar imaging satellite |
| 2009 | ANUSAT | Research Microsatellite developed by Anna University |
| 2009 | Oceansat-2 | Collects oceanographic, coastal and atmospheric data |
| 2010 | GSAT-4 | Communications satellite technology which failed during the mission |
| 2010 | CARTOSAT-2B | Earth observation/remote sensing satellite. |
| 2010 | GSAT-5P /INSAT-4D | Mission failed |
| 2011 | RESOURCESAT-2 | Remote-sensing satellite |
| 2011 | INSAT-4G | C-band communication satellite |
| 2011 | Youthsat | Indo-Russian stellar and atmospheric satellite |
| 2011 | GSAT-12 | communication satellite |
| 2011 | Megha-Tropiques | Indo-French collaborative effort to research on water cycle in the atmosphere |
| 2012 | RISAT-1 | First indigenous all-weather Radar Imaging Satellite |
| 2012 | GSAT-10 | advanced communication satellite |
| 2013 | SARAL | Mission for oceanographic studies |
| 2013 | IRNSS-1A | Seven spacecraft constituting the IRNSS space segment |
| 2013 | INSAT-3 | Meteorological Satellite |
| 2013 | GSAT-7 | Advanced multi-band communication satellite dedicated for military purpose |
| 2013 | Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) | India’s first Mars orbiter |
| 2014 | GSAT-14 | Geostationary communication satellite |
| 2014 | IRNSS-1B | Second satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System |
| 2014 | IRNSS- 1C | Third satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System |
| 2014 | GSAT-16 | communication satellite |
| 2014 | IRNSS-1D | Fourth satellites in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System |
| 2014 | GSAT-6 | Communication satellite |
| 2015 | Astrosat | India’s first dedicated multi-wavelength space Observatory |
| 2015 | GSAT-15 | Communications satellite, carries GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload |
| 2016 | IRNSS-1E | Fifth satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System |
| 2016 | IRNSS-1F | Sixth satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System |
| 2016 | IRNSS-1G | Seventh and final satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System |
| 2016 | CARTOSAT-2C | Earth observation remote sensing satellite |
| 2016 | INSAT-3DR | An advanced meteorological satellite of India configured with an imaging System and an Atmospheric Sounder. |
| 2016 | SCATSAT-1 | Miniature satellite to give climate anticipating, tornado expectation, and tracking services to India. |
| 2017 | CARTOSAT-2D | The highest number of satellites (104 satellites) launched by a single launch vehicle. |
| 2018 | CARTOSAT- 2F | CartoSat-2F is the 6th satellite in the Cartosat series to be built by ISRO. |
| 2018 | MICROSAT- TD | This satellite is a technology demonstrator and the forerunner of future satellites. |
| 2018 | INS -1C | This is the third satellite in the Indian Nanosatellite series, which carried a Miniature Multispectral Technology Demonstration (MMX-TD) Payload. |
| 2018 | GSAT- 6A | This satellite is a high power S-band communication satellite configured around I-2K bus. |
| 2018 | IRNSS -1I | This satellite is the 6th in the series and facilitates GPS navigation. |
| 2018 | GSAT-29 | This satellite facilitates high-throughput communication. |
| 2018 | HySYS | It facilitates Hyperspectral imaging services for agriculture, forestry, and military applications. |
| 2018 | ExseedSat-1 | 1st privately funded satellite of India. |
| 2018 | GSAT-11 | Heaviest spacecraft of India. |
| 2018 | GSAT-7A | Facilitates services for Indian Army and Air Force. |
| 2019 | Microsat-R | This satellite facilitates Earth imaging for defense purposes. |
| 2019 | KalamSAT-V2 | It is the world’s lightest satellite. |
| 2019 | GSAT-31 | This is a high-throughput Telecommunication Satellite. |
| 2019 | EMISAT | This facilitates Electromagnetic intelligence to track any enemy radars for the IAF. |
| 2019 | Chandrayaan-2 | India’s second lunar exploration mission. |
| 2019 | Cartosat-3 | Cartosat-3 is one of the optical satellites with the highest resolutions in the world. |
| 2020 | GSAT-30 | GSAT-30 is the 41st communication satellite launched by ISRO to replace INSAT-4A. It provides advanced telecommunication services to the entire Indian subcontinent. |
| 2020 | EOS-01 | It is an earth observation satellite. |
List of Indian Satellites:- Download PDF Here
Candidates can also go through a few important links that will help them in exam preparation:
- List of Nuclear Power plants in India
- List of Space Research Centres of India
- List Of G20 Summits
- Unemployment in India
- Nuclear Energy & Developments
For more such articles, visit the Static GK page.
Indian Satellite – Sample Questions For General Awareness
Q1. What is the name of India’s first Satellite and when was it launched?
Ans. The first Indian Satellite is Aryabhatta. It was launched on April 19th, 1975.
Q2. What was the purpose of launching the SCATSAT-1 satellite on September 1st, 2016?
Ans. The purpose of SCATSAT-1 Satellite was to provide cyclone prediction, weather forecasting and tracking services to India.
Q3. Which satellite is dedicated as India’s first multi-wavelength space observatory?
Ans. Astrosat launched on September 28th, 2015 is India’s first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory.
Q4. When was ISRO established and where is its headquarter?
Ans. ISRO is the space agency of Government of India that was established on August 15th, 1969. ISRO is headquartered in Bengaluru.
Q5. When was IRNSS-1B launched?
Ans. IRNSS-1B stands for Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. It was launched on April 4th, 2014.
Q6. Name the place from where Chandrayan-1 was launched.
Ans. Chandrayaan-1 was launched from Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.
Q7. Which satellite has ISRO launched recently to replace the INSAT-4A launched in 2005?
Ans. ISRO has launched telecommunication satellite GSAT-30 to replace INSAT-4A.
Q8. What is the name of another satellite launched with GSAT-30?
Ans. replace INSAT-4AA European communication satellite named EUTELSAT KONNECT was also launched with GSAT-30
Q9. Name the place from where the GSAT-30 was launched.
Ans. GSAT-30 was launched from Kourou launch base (foreign launcher) in French Guiana as it is much heavier than the lifting capacity of its geostationary launch vehicle GSLV-MkII. The launch vehicle is named Ariane 5 VA-251.
Q10. When did ISRO launch GSAT-30?
Ans. The Indian Space Research Organisation launched GSAT-30 on January 16th, 2020.
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