Do you remember learning about India’s first rocket launch? Let me tell you something amazing – that very first rocket was so small that scientists had to carry its parts on bicycles!
Yes, you read that right. Bicycles. And today, just decades later, India is making rockets so powerful that they can carry the heaviest satellites into space, and spacecraft that can travel 600 million kilometers to Mars. This incredible journey is what ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan spoke about at the 7th India Manufacturing Show in Bangalore on November 6, 2025, and his words filled every Indian heart with pride.
Mr. Narayanan shared something truly exciting – ISRO wants to hand over 50% of PSLV rocket development work to private Indian companies. Now, you might wonder, what exactly is PSLV? PSLV stands for Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, and it’s India’s most trusted and reliable rocket that has been launching satellites into space for decades. It’s like the dependable workhorse of Indian space program – the rocket that rarely fails and has successfully carried numerous satellites for India and other countries into orbit. This rocket has made India proud with mission after mission, and now ISRO is confident enough to let private Indian companies build half of it! Think about what this means! The PSLV, which has been our backbone in space for years, will soon be half-built by our own private industries. This is not just about sharing work; it’s about trusting Indian companies to build one of the world’s most dependable space vehicles.
The chairman revealed that for the first time ever, a PSLV rocket has been completely built by an Indian industry consortium led by HAL and L&T, and ISRO plans to launch it by February this financial year. Once these companies successfully complete two launches, they will receive 50% of all future PSLV work. Can you imagine the confidence ISRO has in Indian industries? This is a huge vote of trust, and it shows how far our private sector has come in terms of capability and reliability.
What struck me most was when Mr. Narayanan said that Indian industries already make 80 to 85% of the systems used in ISRO missions. This is mind-blowing! We often think ISRO does everything alone, but the truth is our aerospace, defence and engineering companies are the backbone of every mission. Take the CMS-03 mission, for example, which carried our heaviest communication satellite using the massive LMV3-M5 rocket nicknamed ‘Bahubali’. Nearly 80% of that mission was built by Indian industries. Yes, ISRO launched it, but our companies made it possible. This is the India we should be proud of – an India that builds, innovates and delivers.
The journey ISRO described takes us back to November 21, 1963, when India successfully launched a small American-made rocket from Indian soil. That was our first baby step into space. From that humble beginning with bicycle-carried rocket parts, we reached an incredible milestone in July 2025 with the NISAR Satellite launch. This joint mission with NASA cost ₹10,300 crore, and here’s the beautiful part – while NASA made one payload and antenna, India made another payload. But the entire satellite was built in India, assembled in India, and launched on an Indian rocket, all with help from Indian industries. From bicycles to building satellites worth thousands of crores – this is the transformation story every young Indian should know.
Around 450 Indian industries now work with ISRO on different missions, and the growth after government space sector reforms has been phenomenal. Mr. Narayanan pointed out that before these reforms, only 3 to 4 startups worked in India’s space sector. Today, there are more than 330 startups! Just think about the opportunities this creates for young engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs like you. The space sector is no longer locked away; it’s open for anyone with dreams and skills to enter. ISRO has already given SSLV technology – that’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle, designed for launching smaller satellites – to HAL through a ₹511 crore agreement, with plans to manufacture 16 SSLV rockets in private industries. These launch vehicles will open even more doors for commercial space activities and make space more accessible.
Let me take you to one of India’s proudest moments – August 23, 2023. On this day, India became the first country in the world to successfully land near the Moon’s South Pole. Yes, the first! Not America, not Russia, not China – India did it first. This soft landing near the lunar South Pole wasn’t just an Indian achievement; it was a historic moment for the entire world of space science. The chairman also spoke about Mangalyaan, our Mars Orbiter Mission, with such pride, and rightly so. That spacecraft travelled 600 million kilometers, and its engine restarted perfectly after 295 days in space – something no other country managed on their first attempt. India did it in the first go! This is what makes our space program truly special.
What really touched my heart was the story of India’s cryogenic engine technology. In the early 1990s, when India wanted to buy this advanced technology, other countries denied it to us. They thought we couldn’t do it ourselves. But look at us today – we have developed three types of cryogenic propulsion engines completely on our own! We went from being denied technology to becoming self-reliant masters of it. This is the spirit that defines India and ISRO. When doors close, we don’t give up; we build our own doors, and sometimes even better ones.
January 29, 2024, marked another golden chapter when ISRO completed its 100th rocket launch. One hundred successful missions! Each launch represents years of hard work, precision and dedication by thousands of scientists, engineers and industry partners. Mr. Narayanan also shared something exciting about electronics independence – ISRO and HCL together created a 32-bit Indian computer processor. This might sound technical, but it means India is reducing dependence on foreign electronics for our space missions. We’re building everything ourselves, from the smallest chip to the biggest rocket.
Currently, India operates 56 satellites for communication, navigation and Earth observation. But here’s the thrilling part – this number will increase three to four times in coming years! Our Prime Minister has set an ambitious target: increase India’s rocket launches from 10-12 per year to around 50 per year within the next five years. Fifty launches a year! That’s almost one launch every week! Can you imagine the scale of work, the jobs, the opportunities this will create? And with ISRO now giving 50% of PSLV work to private companies, these launches will happen faster and more efficiently.
As students standing at the threshold of your careers, this is your moment. The India that carried rocket parts on bicycles needs you to carry its space dreams forward. Whether you want to be an engineer, scientist, entrepreneur or technician, the space sector is calling you. With 330 startups and 450 industries already involved, and with ISRO opening up 50% of PSLV work to private players, opportunities are limitless. India’s space story is not just about reaching for stars; it’s about believing that impossible is nothing. It’s about turning denials into determination, obstacles into opportunities, and dreams into reality. This is the India ISRO has built, and this is the India you will take even higher. Are you ready?