New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set for a packed and pivotal year in 2025, with a series of significant missions planned for the first half of the year. Space Minister Jitendra Singh revealed on Tuesday that six major launches are scheduled, including the sending of a female humanoid robot to space as part of preparations for the Gaganyaan manned mission, and the launch of the world’s most expensive Earth-imaging satellite, NISAR, co-produced with NASA.
In a press briefing to highlight India’s space achievements in 2024 and outline upcoming plans, Singh announced that ISRO’s first launch of 2025 will be the advanced navigation satellite NVS-02, scheduled for January. This launch, using the GSLV rocket, will also mark ISRO’s 100th mission milestone. Following that, ISRO will send Vyommitra, a female humanoid robot, into space as part of the unmanned Gaganyaan mission. The mission will simulate all the aspects of the manned Gaganyaan mission, minus human astronauts. “Once the Vyommitra mission is successful, we will proceed with sending astronauts into space,” Singh stated.
The minister also confirmed that the highly anticipated Indo-US joint satellite mission, NISAR, will launch around March. The satellite, valued at Rs 12,505 crore, will be the world’s most expensive Earth-imaging satellite. “NISAR will scan nearly all land and ice on Earth every 12 days and will provide exceptionally high-resolution imagery,” Singh noted.
Singh emphasized how ISRO has evolved since its founding in 1969, a time when the US was focused on lunar missions. Today, ISRO is not only advancing its own space programs but is also launching satellites for international customers, including the upcoming commercial launch of a satellite for the United States, intended for mobile communication. “The LVM3-M5 mission, set for the first quarter of 2025, will carry a satellite for an international customer. Additionally, by February or March, India will launch a satellite for direct mobile communication for the US, further showcasing our growing capabilities,” Singh added.
Over the past decade, ISRO has generated over $400 million in revenue from commercial satellite launches for clients in the US and EU. The minister outlined that ISRO’s revenue from US launches amounts to $172 million, while launches for the EU have brought in €292 million ($304 million). Of these earnings, $157 million and €260 million ($271 million) have been generated in the past ten years alone. “This demonstrates India’s remarkable progress in the space economy and its rising stature as a global space leader,” Singh said.
ISRO Chairman S. Somanath highlighted that 2025 promises to be an exciting year, with plans for four GSLV launches, three PSLV launches, and one SSLV launch.
In 2024, ISRO successfully conducted 15 missions, including key technology demonstrations and commercial satellite launches. Dr. Rajeev Jaiswal, Associate Director of ISRO’s Earth Observation Division, recounted the milestones achieved in 2024, which included launches such as the XPoSat mission on January 1, the Aditya-L1 solar mission on January 6, the INSAT-3DS mission on February 17, and the successful launch of the SpaDeX mission on December 30.
