India in Space

India’s space program is serious, substantial, and growing.

Though more than 50 countries have space programs, very few have the ability to plan and execute their own missions. Outside of Europe and the United States, the only significant players in space are China, Brazil, Japan, Turkey and India.

And, for the last 49 years, ISRO has gone to space not to look at the stars, but to turn its gaze back to Earth. Though it operates on about one-twentieth of NASA's $16.5 billon annual budget, some would argue that on a day-to-day basis ISRO does more to make its advances accessible to its citizens.