Saralnama
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released special educational modules titled 'India: A Rising Space Power' that trace India's space program from its early days in the 1960s to its current status as a leading, cost-efficient space power. The modules, designed for middle and secondary students, include photographs, diagrams, and timelines to illustrate the evolution from the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). They highlight key milestones such as the launch of Aryabhata in 1975, the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment, Chandrayaan missions including the historic Chandrayaan-3 lunar south pole landing in 2023, Mangalyaan Mars mission, and the Aditya-L1 solar observatory. The modules also pay tribute to Indian astronauts Rakesh Sharma and Shubhanshu Shukla, outline future projects like the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission, Chandrayaan-4, and the Bharatiya Antariksh Station. Additionally, they emphasize ISRO's role as a global launch provider with over 430 foreign satellites launched and the practical applications of space technology in navigation, tele-education, disaster management, and agriculture. The modules note the growth of over 200 space startups in India and the government’s goal to capture 8% of the global space economy by 2035. (Updated 23 Aug 2025, 13:59 IST; source: link)