Rocketry in India

Gone are the days when the battle field full of warriors, used huge cannons and stone thrower catapults. The battle and the warriors proved there supremacy and tenacity for which they were known in their times and are the hero’s of the history. If one is enthusiastic in going through the pages of history, then the reader will come to know all about the arms and ammunitions and their successive development.

Throughout most of the 18th century, especially during the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV, the French led the world in the production of rockets. Most of these were used as fireworks, but some were used as incendiary and explosives in the war. At the time, military rockets were not regarded as a necessity due to advancements in conventional artillery like cannons and small arms. But, as the 19th century dawned, rockets would again be highlighted in battle.

If we see about the history of rockets in India, the technique got patronize in the regime of two great warriors in the history of India. Those were Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan. These are considered as the forefathers of rockets not only in India but also in the world context.

As on regarding the space technology the history gets much more interesting twists. When we go through the historical reports, the observatories that were built from way back all over the world to see the heavenly skies, we can see that humans were fascinated with reading the skies and  dreamed of going to  space. This was no small dream since it took quite a few centuries for us to develop the technology to fly and then finally escape earth's orbit.

The Chinese and Mesopotamians were the first civilizations to use rockets as fireworks. Rockets gained popularity as weapons by the Chinese during their wars with Mongols and were used in wars against the Arabs. It was in the 20th century that rockets and space technology evolved and man was finally able to achieve space travel.   

Although the Indian rockets were much more primitive by modern standards, their sheer numbers, noise and brilliance were said to have been quite effective at disorienting British soldiers. During the night, the rockets were often seen as blue lights bursting in the air. Since Indian forces were able to launch these bursting rockets from in front of and behind British lines, they were a tremendous tool for throwing the British off guard. The bursting rockets were usually followed by a deadly shower of rockets aimed directly at the soldiers. Some of these rockets passed from the front of the British columns to the rear, inflicting injury and death as they passed. Sharp bamboo was typically affixed to the rockets, which were designed to bounce along the ground to produce maximum damage.

Two Major Incidents in the history of Rocket system in India:-

1798 - Tipu Sultan, the King of the state of Mysore in India, develops and uses iron rockets against the British Army.

1803 - The British Army develops the Congreve rocket based on weapons used against them by Tipu Sultan.

India in Space – A Brief Timeline

1963 - First sounding rocket launched from TERLS (November 21, 1963).

1965 -Space Science and Technology Centre (SSTC) established in Thumba.

1967 - Satellite Telecommunication Earth Station set up at Ahmedabad.

1969 - Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) formed under Department of Atomic Energy.

1972 - Space Commission and Department of Space set up. ISRO brought under DOS (June 1, 1972).

1975 - ISRO becomes Government Organisation (April 1, 1975). First Indian Satellite, Aryabhata, launched (April 19, 1975).

1979 - Bhaskara-I, an experimental satellite for earth observations, launched (June 7, 1979). First Experimental launch of SLV-3 with Rohini Technology Payload on board (August 10, 1979).Satellite could not be placed in orbit.

1981- First developmental launch of SLV-3.

1984 - Indo-Soviet manned space mission (April 1984).

1987 - First developmental launch of ASLV with SROSS-1 satellite on board (March 24, 1987). Satellite could not be placed in orbit.

2001 - First Launch of the GSLV successfully completed on April 18, 2001.

2002 - ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C4, successfully launched KALPANA-1 satellite from Sriharikota(September 12, 2002). Successful launch of INSAT-3C by Ariane from Kourou French Guyana, (January 24, 2002).

2003 - ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C5, successfully launched RESOURCESAT-1 (IRS-P6) satellite from Sriharikota(October 17, 2003). Successful launch of INSAT-3E by Ariane from Kourou French Guyana, (September 28, 2003). The Second developmental launch of GSLV-D2 with GSAT-2 on board from Sriharikota (May 8, 2003). Successful launch of INSAT-3A by Ariane from Kourou French Guyana, (April 10, 2003).

2004 - The first operational flight of GSLV (GSLV-F01) successfully launched EDUSAT from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota (September 20, 2004)

2005 - Successful launch of INSAT-4A by Ariane from Kourou French Guyana, (December 22, 2005). ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C6, successfully launched CARTOSAT-1 and HAMSAT satellites from Sriharikota (May 5, 2005).

2006 - Second operational flight of GSLV with Insat-4C. For the first time, an Indian rocket carried a communication satellite but the mission failed.

2007 - ISRO launches India’s CARTOSAT-2 and Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-1) and Indonesia’s LAPAN-TUBSAT and Argentina’s PEHUENSAT-1 at one go on January 10, 2007. Successful launch of INSAT-4B by Ariane-5 from Kourou French Guyana, (March 12, 2007). PSLV-C8 successfully launched Italian astronomical satellite AGILE from Sriharikota on April 23. Successful launch of GSLV with INSAT-4CR on board from SDSC SHAR on September 2.

2008 - Launch of Israeli satellite Tecsar by PSLV. Launch of two Indian and eight foreign satellites by a single PSLV. India's first moon mission Chandrayaan-1 by PSLV.

2009 - Launch of Radar Imaging Satellite (Risat-2) and Anusat from Anna University (first satellite from an Indian university) by PSLV. Launch of seven satellites by PSLV, including India's Oceansat.

2010 - Launch of Cartosat-2B, STUDSAT and three small foreign satellites by PSLV.

2011 - Launch of Resourcest-2 and two small satellites by PSLV. Launch of GSAT-12 by PSLV. Launch of Megha Tropiques and three small satellites by PSLV.

2012 - Launch of Risat-1 by PSLV. Launch of French satellite SPOT 6 and Japanese satellite Proiteres.

The birth place of Endeavor of rocket that we see in the world today is the India. The rocket launching and missile technology which we see existing today belongs to India. So it is rather easier to accept that the god fathers of the rocket were on the Indian soil.

Abbreviations:-

PSLV- Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

GSLV- Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle

ASLV- Agumanted Satellite Launch Vehicle

Vaibhav Pramod Rajdeep

 Author (0971403705) Mail- rajdeepvaibhav706@gmail.com