What Is ISRO? Full Form, History, Rockets and Main Centres

What is ISRO?

ISRO stands for the Indian Space Research Organisation. It is India's national space agency and a major constituent of the Government of India's Department of Space (DoS). ISRO designs spacecraft, develops launch vehicles and uses space technology for public services, scientific research and exploration.

Its headquarters are in Bengaluru, Karnataka. ISRO operates through specialised centres across India rather than a single campus.

When was ISRO established?

ISRO was formed on 15 August 1969. It replaced the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), which had been set up in 1962. The Department of Space was established in 1972 and ISRO came under it that year.

Dr Vikram Sarabhai is widely recognised as the founding father of India's space programme. Early Indian space research included work at the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station near Thiruvananthapuram.

What does ISRO actually do?

Its work goes far beyond sending rockets into orbit:

• Satellite communication: supporting services such as telecommunications and television broadcasting.
• Earth observation: collecting imagery used in agriculture, water-resource management, mapping, environmental monitoring and disaster-related analysis.
• Navigation: developing satellite-based positioning, navigation and timing capabilities.
• Weather services: providing satellite information relevant to meteorology and disaster warning.
• Space science and exploration: developing spacecraft and instruments for research into the Moon, the Sun and other scientific questions.

These applications are why India's space programme matters to people who never follow rocket launches.

Which rockets does ISRO use?

A launch vehicle is a rocket that carries a spacecraft towards its target orbit. ISRO's official launcher overview describes several families:

• PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle): a versatile launcher used for different satellite missions, notably including Earth-observation payloads.
• GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle): designed for missions including the placement of communications satellites into suitable transfer orbits.
• LVM3: a larger launch vehicle developed for heavier payloads; its human-rated version is associated with the Gaganyaan programme.

A rocket and the satellite it carries are separate things. A mission name may refer to a spacecraft while a designation such as PSLV or GSLV identifies the launch vehicle.

Where are ISRO's main centres?

ISRO's official profile identifies major roles across several centres:

• Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram: launch vehicle development.
• U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru: satellite design and development.
• Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota: launch operations and integration.
• Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad: space-application payloads and related work.
• National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad: remote-sensing data processing and distribution.

How can I check an ISRO launch or mission?

Use isro.gov.in (opens in a new tab) and its official mission or launch pages for schedules, launches and scientific updates. Proposed launch dates can move because of technical, weather or operational conditions. Check official updates instead of treating an advance date in a social post as final.

*Fact-checked against ISRO's official profile, FAQ, launch-vehicle and satellite pages on 27 October 2026. This is an evergreen organisation explainer, not a live launch schedule.*