Success stories include phenomena from space docking to growing plants in space
India’s space sector has achieved extraordinary milestones such as civil satellite constellation, space docking and ground-breaking experiments in space agriculture, demonstrating its global prominence.
The year 2025 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of India. At the beginning of 2025, which just passed, India wrote the story of its breakthrough journey in space science. ISRO’s efforts have given India a unique position in the world of space exploration.
As we take to space on the back of several successful missions, this article highlights India’s stellar space trajectory over the past year.
Among India’s impressive achievements in the space sector, Bengaluru-based Pixxel, an Indian space technology startup, is proud to have successfully launched India’s first private satellite constellation, Firefly.
This constellation is the world’s highest resolution hyperspectral satellite constellation. This achievement not only makes India a leader in modern space technology but is also a major step towards a self-reliant India – Atma Nirbharat.
A few days ago, ISRO scientists recorded another major achievement in the space sector by undertaking space docking of a satellite. When two spacecraft are connected in space, the process is called space docking. This technology is important for sending supplies to the space station and for crew missions in space.
India became the fourth country to achieve this success. Our scientists are also working to grow and survive plants in space. For this, ISRO scientists chose cowpea seeds. Eight cowpea seeds in a sealed box environment with active temperature control were sent into space. These seeds, sent on December 30, 2024, germinated in space itself.
This is a very exciting experiment that could pave the way for future vegetable cultivation in space. Another exciting initiative is by the ExTeM Center at IIT Madras. The center is working on new technologies for manufacturing in space, researching technologies such as 3D printed buildings in space, metal foam, and fiber optics.
The center also develops innovative construction methods such as waterless concrete construction. This research by ExTeM will enhance India’s Gaganyaan mission and future space stations. All these achievements prove how far-sighted Indian scientists and innovators are in providing solutions to future challenges.
Apart from ISRO’s impressive achievements, India has been collaborating with space agencies such as NASA, European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos on the global stage for future projects.
India’s space program, which includes missions to the moon and Mars, is often questioned given the country’s poverty. But this study shows that investing in space research is by no means a vanity project.
In addition to obvious benefits such as enhanced communications, weather forecasting, GPS, etc., the space sector supports 4.7 million jobs in the country, and this number is expected to increase further as privately funded space research moves forward. is. India has more than quadrupled its returns from investments in its space program over the past decade.
The data was published in September 2024 after a study conducted by Novaspace, an international space consulting company. Such large economic gains were made possible thanks to the frugality of the Indian Space Research Organization, which added $60 billion to the Indian economy.
The Town Post team hopes that ISRO will set a new benchmark in space technology in the coming days.
