India aims to develop a spacecraft by 2027 capable of safely landing humans on the Moon and returning them to Earth, said ISRO chairman V. Narayanan at Gujarat University’s 74th convocation. The Gaganyaan mission is already underway, and preparations for the Mars mission are expected to progress by 2028. Since 1962, India has successfully launched 133 satellites for domestic purposes, with the latest satellite launched on the LVM-3 “Bahubali” weighing 164 kg—the heaviest so far. Approval has been granted for the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), which will be used to launch heavy-lift satellites from a new Rs 4,000 crore launch pad approved by the government.
India has launched 434 satellites for 34 countries, including a record 104 satellites in a single day, strengthening its position as a reliable global launch service provider. Future missions include the Aditya mission to study the Sun. A new mapping portal, Bhuvan, is also planned, comparable to Google Maps. Indian satellites currently support disaster management, fisheries monitoring, and telecom tracking of 8,700 trains. Four GPS navigation satellites are operational, with three more planned. Private and start-up companies are now involved in satellite component manufacturing, previously handled solely by government firms.
ISRO is exploring space-based data processing and storage to reduce dependence on ground stations. Currently, satellites collect data and downlink it to Earth for processing, creating bottlenecks due to limited bandwidth and downlink windows. On-board data processing would allow satellites to transmit only relevant or pre-processed information, offering faster responses for critical applications like disaster management and national security. Challenges include reliable in-orbit power, thermal management, radiation-hardened CPUs and GPUs, and robust security against cyber and physical threats. Space-based computing could improve flexibility for communication satellites, reduce data transmission volumes, and enable near-real-time intelligence.
Globally, the concept of edge computing in orbit is gaining attention as satellite constellations grow and data volumes increase. ISRO’s preliminary studies suggest proof-of-concept is feasible, though full implementation remains in the early stages. The initiative represents a shift toward leveraging space not just for rockets and orbits but for processing and managing data closer to its source.
