Editing ISRO (section)

=== 21st century ===
In 2003, Prime Minister [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] urged scientists to develop technologies to land humans on the Moon<ref>{{cite news |title=India 'on course' for the Moon |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2917271.stm |work=BBC News |date=4 April 2003 |access-date=16 March 2021 |archive-date=21 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121160746/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2917271.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> and programmes for lunar, planetary and crewed missions were started. ISRO launched [[Chandrayaan-1]] aboard PSLV in 2008, purportedly the first probe to verify the presence of water on the Moon.<ref name="THMoon">{{cite news |title=MIP detected water on Moon way back in June: ISRO Chairman |date=25 September 2009 |url=http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/mip-detected-water-on-moon-way-back-in-june-isro-chairman/article24854.ece |newspaper=The Hindu |access-date=12 March 2021 |archive-date=25 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125193516/http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/mip-detected-water-on-moon-way-back-in-june-isro-chairman/article24854.ece |url-status=live}}</ref>

ISRO launched the [[Mars Orbiter Mission]] (or Mangalyaan) aboard a PSLV in 2013, which later became the first Asian spacecraft to enter Martian orbit, making India the first country to succeed at this on its first attempt.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/24/india-mars-satellite-successfully-enters-orbit |title=India's Mars satellite successfully enters orbit, bringing country into space elite |work=The Guardian |first=Jason |last=Burke |date=24 September 2014 |access-date=16 March 2021 |quote=India has become the first nation to send a satellite into orbit around Mars on its first attempt, and the first Asian nation to do so. |archive-date=4 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204185909/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/24/india-mars-satellite-successfully-enters-orbit |url-status=live}}</ref>

Subsequently, the cryogenic upper stage for GSLV rocket became operational, making India the sixth country to have full launch capabilities.<ref name="Cryo14">{{Cite news |last=Narasimhan |first=T. E. |date=7 January 2014 |title=ISRO on cloud nine as India joins 'cryo club' |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/isro-on-cloud-nine-as-india-joins-cryo-club-114010700023_1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111074324/https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/isro-on-cloud-nine-as-india-joins-cryo-club-114010700023_1.html |archive-date=11 November 2022 |access-date=12 March 2021 |location=Chennai |newspaper=[[Business Standard]] }}</ref> A new heavier-lift launcher [[LVM3]] was introduced in 2014 for heavier satellites and future human space missions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GSLV Mk III |url=https://www.isro.gov.in/launchers/gslv-mk-iii |publisher=ISRO |access-date=16 March 2021 |archive-date=20 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920234908/https://www.isro.gov.in/launchers/gslv-mk-iii |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Chandrayaan-3 – Image of Vikram lander on lunar surface taken by Pragyan rover navcam at 1104 IST, 30 August 2023 from 15 meters away (without text).webp|thumb|[[Chandrayaan-3]] Lander on the [[Moon]] surface imaged by rover [[Pragyan (Chandrayaan-3)|Pragyan]] 15 meters away]]

On 23 August 2023, India achieved its first soft landing on an extraterrestrial body and became the first nation to successfully land a spacecraft near the [[lunar south pole]] and fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon with ISRO's Chandrayaan-3, the third Moon mission.<ref name="guardian-20230823">{{Cite news |last=Dhillon |first=Amrit |date=2023-08-23 |title=India lands spacecraft near south pole of moon in world first |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/aug/23/india-chandrayaan-3-moon-landing-mission |access-date=2023-08-23 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=5 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105194944/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/aug/23/india-chandrayaan-3-moon-landing-mission |url-status=live }}</ref> Indian moon mission, [[Chandrayaan-3]] (lit. "''Mooncraft''"), saw the successful soft landing of its ''Vikram'' lander at 6.04 pm IST (12:34 pm GMT) near the little-explored southern pole of the Moon in a world's first for any space programme.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 August 2023 |title=Chandrayaan-3 Live Updates: 'Dawn of new India,' says PM Modi as ISRO lands spacecraft on the Moon |url=https://www.indianexpress.com/article/india/chandrayaan-3-moon-landing-live-updates-isro-vikram-lander-8903547/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105194950/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/chandrayaan-3-moon-landing-live-updates-isro-vikram-lander-8903547/ |archive-date=5 November 2023 |access-date=23 August 2023 |website=indianexpress.com |publisher=Indian Express |url-status=live }}</ref>

India then successfully launched its first solar probe, the [[Aditya-L1]], aboard a PSLV on 2 September 2023.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02811-2 |author=T. V. Padma |date=September 4, 2023 |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |title=India's first Sun mission will investigate the origins of space weather |volume=621 |issue=7978 |pages=240–241 |doi=10.1038/d41586-023-02811-2 |pmid=37667110 |bibcode=2023Natur.621..240P |s2cid=261526289 |access-date=September 5, 2023 |archive-date=5 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005030143/https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02811-2 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.space.com/india-launches-aditya-l1-first-solar-probe |first=Mike |last=Wall |website=[[Space.com]] |date=September 2, 2023 |title=India launches Aditya-L1 solar observatory, its 1st-ever sun probe |access-date=September 5, 2023 |archive-date=20 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020230548/https://www.space.com/india-launches-aditya-l1-first-solar-probe |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 30 December 2024, ISRO successfully launched the [[SpaDeX]] mission, pioneering [[Space rendezvous|spacecraft rendezvous]], [[Docking and berthing of spacecraft|docking]], and undocking using two small satellites.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-31 |title=Isro successfully launches SpaDeX mission for novel docking of 2 satellites in space |url=https://www.domain-b.com/technology/technology-general/isro-successfully-launches-spadex-mission-for-novel-docking-of-2-satellites-in-space |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=www.domain-b.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=C.S |first=Hemanth |date=2024-12-30 |title=PSLV-C60 launch: ISRO launches SpaDeX mission for space docking |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/pslvc60-lifts-off-with-spadex-spacecraft-from-sriharikota/article69044491.ece |access-date=2024-12-31 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> On 16 January 2025, the [[ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network]]'s Mission Operations Complex verified that the docking process was successful. India became the 4th country — after USA, Russia and China — to achieve successful Space Docking.<ref>{{Cite news |last=C.S |first=Hemanth |date=2025-01-16 |title=ISRO successfully executes SpaDeX docking experiment; India joins elite club of nations |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/isro-successfully-executes-spadex-docking-experiment-india-joins-elite-club-of-nations/article69103462.ece |access-date=2025-01-17 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tripathi |first=Sibu |date=2025-01-16 |title=Isro docks SpaDeX satellites in space, sets stage for Chandrayaan-4, Gaganyaan |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/isro-spadex-satellites-docking-successful-creates-history-spacecraft-2665500-2025-01-16 |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bagla |first=Pallava |date=2025-01-16 |title=ISRO's SpaDeX Mission Successful, 2 Indian Satellites Dock In Space |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/isros-spadex-mission-successful-2-indian-satellites-dock-in-space-7484822 |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=ndtv.com |language=en}}</ref> ISRO also successfully managed to control two satellites as a single entity after docking.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-01-16 |title=ISRO successfully docks SpaDeX satellites in space, creates history |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/isro-successfully-docks-spadex-two-satellites-in-space-101737003035346.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250116101958/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/isro-successfully-docks-spadex-two-satellites-in-space-101737003035346.html |archive-date=16 January 2025 |access-date=2025-01-17 |work=Hindustan Times |language=en-us |url-status=live }}</ref>