By Venkatachari Jagannathan
Chennai, Dec 27 (UNI) The year 2025 that is set to end is a mixed bag for the Indian space sector as a whole-government and private sector.
For the government owned Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), it was largely forgettable year given failure of two major national security satellite launch missions during the first half of the year under review.
During 2025, ISRO carried out five satellite missions of which two failed.
For the country/ISRO, the first half was disastrous with the back-to-back failures of two satellite launch missions of strategic importance- navigation satellite NVS-02 and earth observation satellite EOS-09.
The satellite is meant to replace ageing IRNSS-1E in India’s regional navigation system.
On January 29, 2025 in an historic mission – 100th rocket launch from the Indian rocket port at Sriharikota- the 2,250 kg NVS-02 costing about Rs.300 crore was put into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) by the rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).
The satellite got stuck there.
ISRO said: “…the orbit raising operations towards positioning the satellite to the designated orbital slot could not be carried out as the valves for admitting the oxidiser to fire the thrusters for orbit raising did not open.”
Without the oxidiser the fuel could not burn and hence the satellite got stuck at GTO.
ISRO is silent as to why the oxidiser valve did not open and the status of redundancies.
The country suffered another strategic loss on 18.5.2025-the mission to orbit EOS-09 estimated to cost about Rs.850 crore (satellite Rs.550 crore and rocket Rs.300 crore).
The satellite was meant to replace ageing IRNSS-1E in India’s regional navigation system-NavIC.
On the other hand, EOS-09, equipped with a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) with a life span of five years, was designed to strengthen India’s surveillance capabilities, similar in function to EOS-04 launched in 2022.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle XL variant (PSLV-XL) rocket that ferried the EOS-09 satellite veered off the course about six minutes into its flight soon after ignition of the third stage powered by solid fuel.
The financial cost of the failed launches, including replacements and lost opportunities, could run into hundreds of crores and one must also factor the opportunity cost as well.
In 2021, India lost another strategic satellite GISAT-1 as its rocket GSLV-F10’s cryogenic stage failed to ignite.
The 2017 another satellite-navigation satellite IRNSS-1H- was lost as the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle’s (PSLV) heat shield did not separate, trapping the satellite inside. ISRO later attributed the problem to a malfunction in the pyro separation system.
With increasing reliance on space-based intelligence and navigation and the increasing international competition in launch business, ISRO must now urgently address these recurring failures—especially in missions tied to India’s strategic interests, experts opined.
ISRO tasted launch success on 30.7.2025 with the launch of world’s costliest satellite, the $1.5 billion NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)- an Indo-US joint project-with its GSLV rocket.
In November, ISRO successfully launched a military satellite GSAT-7R or CMS-03 with its LVM3 rocket. And it was followed by the launch of an American communication satellite BlueBird 6.
The year also saw Indian Air Force Shubhanshu Shukla landing in the International Space Station (ISS) and returning back as part of the Axiom-04 mission. The first Indian to stay in ISS, Shukla also carried out various scientific experiments there.
The year that is ending saw India becoming the fourth country to have capability of docking, undocking, transfer of power of two satellites in space with its SpaDeX mission that consisted of two small spacecraft (about 220 kg each – one called Target/SDX01 and the other Chaser/SDX02). The two satellites were orbited in 2024.
The technology of mating satellites and other objects in space is essential when multiple rocket launches are required to bring back lunar samples, orbital refueling, building India’s space station Bhartiya Antriksh Station (BAS) and sending people and cargo there.
The year under review also saw ISRO carrying out several tests towards the country’s own human space mission Gaganyaan- parachute systems, abort systems and others.
Speaking at the National Meet 2.0 Nilesh M Desai, Director, ISRO’s Space Applications Centre, announced India’s plans to orbit 103 earth observation and 19 technology demonstration satellites over the next 15 years or by 2040. He also said India plans launch about 160 communication satellites including a constellation of 140 satellites in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) to provide broadband connectivity like Starlink, OneWeb and others.
The other notable events of the Indian government space sector:
-The Indian government approves setting up of third launch pad at the rocket port in Sriharikota.
-1000 orbits completed for PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM-4).
-ISRO develops the first Make-In-India 32-bit Microprocessors for space applications jointly with Semi-Conductor Laboratory, Chandigarh.
-Foundation Stone Laid for Launch Pad at SSLV Launch Complex (SLC), Kulasekarapattinam, in Tamil Nadu.
-Restart of C25 Cryogenic Stage demonstration in LVM3-M5 Mission.
-Physical Research Laboratory/ISRO discovered a new exoplanet.
-1000 Hours Firing Life Test of Stationary Plasma Thruster (SPT) for Electric Propulsion System (EPS).
– ISRO satellites forecast wheat production.
– Successful third Hot Test of Semi-Cryogenic Engine Power Head Test Article.
– Technology Transfer Agreement signed for Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) between ISRO, NewSpace India Limited, IN-SPACe and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
On the private sector side, 2025 saw satellite makers like Pixxel, Digantara and others launching their spacecrafts using American rockets successfully.
However, the Bengaluru based Grahaa Space was not lucky as the South Korean rocket HANBIT-Nano carrying its satellite crashed down soon after the liftoff.
Successful static test of KALAM 1200 – solid motor developed by Skyroot Aerospace at ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
But the major development that made the industry talk was the winning `zero bid’ by the PixxelSpace India led consortium to launch a 12-satellite constellation aimed at bolstering national security, marine surveillance, and Earth observation.
The consortium includes Piersight Space, Satsure Analytics India, and Dhruva Space over a five year period will launch the constellation, announced the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).
Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and the SIDBI Venture Capital Ltd signed the Contribution Agreement to operationalise the Rs.1,000 crore Venture Capital Fund for the Indian space sector.
On the private sector rocket side, the two players – Skyroot Aerospace and Agnikul Cosmos-are getting ready for their maiden orbital launch. The Hyderabad based Skyroot Aerospace is expected to fly its Vikram rocket early next year.
The other major developments were:
-IN-SPACe rolled out a Request for Proposal (RFP) to establish Antariksh Prayogshala (Space Labs) at select academic institutions across India.
-IN-SPACe scored a century of space technology transfers.
-Successful static test of KALAM 1200 – solid motor developed by Skyroot Aerospace at ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
