Indian Astronauts and ISRO: REET EVS Notes

India's first astronaut — Rakesh Sharma

Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian citizen to go into space. He launched aboard the Soviet Union's Soyuz T-11 spacecraft on 3 April 1984 and spent about 8 days in space (precisely 7 days, 21 hours and 40 minutes), conducting experiments aboard the Soviet Salyut-7 space station. When then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked him how India looked from space, he gave the now-famous reply — 'Saare Jahan Se Achha' (a line by the poet Iqbal). For this achievement he was awarded India's Ashoka Chakra and the Soviet Union's highest honour, 'Hero of the Soviet Union'.

Other astronauts of Indian origin

Kalpana Chawla, born in Karnal, Haryana, was an American astronaut of Indian origin who became the first woman of Indian origin to go into space, on the STS-87 mission in 1997. Tragically, she died when the Columbia space shuttle broke apart on re-entry during her second mission, STS-107, on 1 February 2003. Sunita Williams, another well-known American astronaut of Indian origin (her father hails from Gujarat), has set several records, including long-duration stays aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and spacewalks; the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Bhushan in 2008. Between them, Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams show two different kinds of record for India: Chawla was the first woman of Indian origin to fly to space at all, while Williams, whose father hails from Gujarat, is remembered instead for how long she has stayed in space and for her spacewalks aboard the ISS, an achievement the Government of India recognised with the Padma Bhushan in 2008.

Key facts about ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation)

Founding

Established in 1969, headquartered in Bengaluru (Karnataka); Dr Vikram Sarabhai was its founder and first chairman, and is known as 'the father of India's space programme'[Source 5]

First satellite

Aryabhata (1975), launched using a Soviet rocket[Source 4]

Chandrayaan-3

Made India the first country to successfully land near the Moon's south pole, on 23 August 2023[Source 4]

Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission)

Launched in 2013; India became the first country to reach Mars orbit on its very first attempt, in 2014[Source 4]

Aditya-L1

India's first solar mission, launched in September 2023 and reached the L1 point's orbit in January 2024[Source 4]

Gaganyaan

India's first human spaceflight mission programme, currently undergoing test flights[Source 4]

India's space journey: key dates

[Source 4]

Bachendri Pal — India's first woman to summit Everest

Bachendri Pal became the first Indian woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, on 23 May 1984. Although she was a mountaineer rather than an astronaut, this fact is often grouped with India's achievements in REET questions, so it's worth remembering the date — 23 May 1984. Lined up in order, India's space story reads as a sequence of firsts: Aryabhata became India's first satellite in 1975, launched with the help of a Soviet rocket; Rakesh Sharma became India's first astronaut in 1984, spending about eight days aboard Salyut-7; Kalpana Chawla became the first woman of Indian origin in space in 1997, before her second mission ended in tragedy in 2003; Chandrayaan-1 confirmed water molecules on the Moon in 2008; Mangalyaan made India the first country to reach Mars orbit on its very first attempt in 2014; and Chandrayaan-3 achieved a successful landing near the Moon's south pole in 2023, again a first for any country. ISRO itself, founded in 1969 under Dr Vikram Sarabhai and headquartered in Bengaluru, also now runs Aditya-L1, India's first solar mission, which reached its orbit around the L1 point in January 2024, and Gaganyaan, India's first human spaceflight programme, which is still undergoing test flights.

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