The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chairman V. Narayanan on Thursday unveiled an ambitious schedule covering multiple key missions, including two LVM-3 launches in November and significant progress on major national projects such as Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan-4 and the Bharatiya Antariksh Station.

ISRO’s heavy-lift vehicle, LVM-3, will undertake two crucial launches before the end of 2025. The upcoming LVM3-M5 mission will deploy the CMS-03 (GSAT-7R) communication satellite, tentatively set for lift-off on 2 November from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Shortly thereafter, the agency will execute another LVM-3 launch carrying the U.S.-made BlueBird-6 satellite, expected by December.

The 6.5-tonne BlueBird-6, one of the heaviest commercial payloads ever launched by India, arrived in the country on 19 October. ISRO engineers have begun assembling the launch vehicle for this mission.

The NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, jointly developed by India and the United States, is currently in the calibration stage. Having been launched on 30 July, NISAR’s science operations are set to commence within the next two weeks, with both radar payloads reported to be functioning flawlessly.

The CMS-03 satellite will enhance India’s military and maritime communication capabilities, replacing the ageing GSAT-7R.

On the Gaganyaan front, Narayanan confirmed that 90 per cent of the required work is complete, setting the stage for India’s maiden human spaceflight mission by 2027. Crew and module integration activities are scheduled to accelerate next year.

He also announced the first steps toward establishing the Bharatiya Antariksh Station—India’s indigenous space station—by 2035. The initial module has been cleared for development, with orbital deployment envisaged in 2028.

Chandrayaan-4, India’s follow-up lunar mission, will mark a significant leap as it aims to collect and return moon rocks and soil to Earth. The programme is currently in the design stage, with ISRO setting up the necessary infrastructure and testing systems for sample recovery and return.

The ISRO chief outlined efforts to strengthen the NavIC satellite navigation network. Currently operating with four functional satellites, the constellation will be expanded by three additional spacecraft within 18 months.

He also acknowledged the technical issue faced by the NVS-02 satellite, caused by a valve malfunction that left the satellite in an elliptical orbit. A fault analysis committee has completed its report, and corrective measures are being implemented.

Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Space Vision 2047, Narayanan projected a dramatic increase in the number of Indian satellites in orbit—from 56 at present to nearly three times that figure within four years.

Since 1980, ISRO has successfully launched 433 satellites from 34 countries, with nearly 95 of them carried out in the past decade alone, reflecting rapid commercial sector growth.

Looking ahead, ISRO is conceptualising a new-generation launcher capable of lofting up to 30,000 kg into low Earth orbit, with a more powerful variant under design for crewed lunar missions capable of lifting up to 80,000 kg.

Agencies