<span style="color: #222222;">Over the past 75 years since independence, India's largest public service broadcaster, All India Radio has been the proverbial story teller for crores of people across the country.<br />”<br />”All India Radio is celebrating 75 years of freedom with a series, Azad Bharat Ki Baat- Akashvani Ke Saath. It showcases the journey of India since independence in various walks of life through the story telling of All India Radio.<br />”<br />”In Today’s Episode we bring you the story of India’s Achievements in Space Programmes<br />”<br />”India’s space programmes have grown and evolved significantly in the last decades.&nbsp; Some of the key turning points in the country’s space journey include the launch of Aryabhata satellite, PSLV, GSLV, Mission Shakti and Mars orbiter Mission.<br />”<br />”Overall, India has been fairly successful in these efforts. The space research activities were initiated in India during the early 1960s, when applications using satellites were in experimental stages even in the United States.<br />”<br />”Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the founding father of Indian space programme, formed the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962. With Dr. Sarabhai leading the charge, INCOSPAR set up the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in Thiruvananthapuram for upper atmospheric research. &nbsp;<br />”<br />”INCOSPAR then grew and became the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on August 15th, 1969. The prime objective of ISRO is to develop space technology and its application to various national needs.&nbsp; ISRO is one of the six largest space agencies in the world.<br />”<br />”Named after the noted Indian astronomer, Aryabhata was India’s first satellite which was launched on April 19th, 1975 from Kapustin Yar, a Soviet rocket launch and development site in Astrakhan Oblast using a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle. Aryabhata was built by ISRO. Bhaskara Sega-I, India’s second satellite was also launched with Soviet assistance. Rohini was launched in 1980, becoming the first Indian satellite to be successfully placed in &nbsp;orbit by Satellite Launch Vehicle SLV-3, a country made launch vehicle.<br />”<br />”&nbsp;In 1984, Air Force Pilot Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian to go into space, riding in a Soviet spacecraft. He spoke to then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from space during a joint television news conference<br />”&nbsp; &nbsp;<br />”Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has successfully launched two spacecraft – Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013. Chandrayaan-1 was India’s first moon mission. It was the first unmanned lunar probe under the Chandrayaan programme and was launched in October 2008 by ISRO. Mars Orbiter Mission was country’s first interplanetary mission. India became the fourth space agency in the world to reach Mars orbit, after Roscosmos, NASA, and the European Space Agency. It also made India the first nation in the world to reach the Martian orbit in its maiden attempt. The spacecraft, Mangalyaan, was launched on Nov 5, 2013 and reached Mars’ orbit on September 24, 2014. At just 74 million dollar, the mission cost less than the estimated 100 million dollar budget of the science-fiction blockbuster Hollywood movie &quot;Gravity&quot;. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, everything about Mangalyaan is indigenous and We reached Mars at a smaller budget than a Hollywood movie.<br />”<br />”India is striving towards self-reliant space applications and ISRO has developed a cost-effective and reliable satellite launch system.&nbsp; Another brilliant innovation by ISRO is the GSLV which has the capability to put a heavier payload in the orbit than the PSLV. In a first-of-its-kind attempt, the Defence Research and Development Organisation managed to successfully neutralise a satellite in space with its anti-satellite (ASAT) missile on March 27 2019. This was one of the most important and complex missions that was undertaken by the DRDO and it was named – Mission Shakti. It demonstrated the organisation’s ability to defend India’s assets, even in space.<br />”<br />”Azad Bharat Ki Baat- Akashvani Ke Saath-Can Be Accessed On @Airnewsalerts On Twitter, Newsonairofficial Youtube Channel, Newsonair App, Facebook And Instagram Handles. So Tune Into All India Radio News For Azad Bharat Ki Baat- Akashvani Ke Saath.</span><br />