To the stars with love, from Bengaluru
Although Bengaluru has been the official HQ of India’s space program since the early 1970s, very few Bangaloreans are aware that this month marks the 70th anniversary of a watershed global space event, commemorated annually since 1999 as Day 1 of World Space Week
Every year, between October 4 and 10, World Space Week commemorates the launch of Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union in 1957, marking the beginning of the Space Race. India's space journey started with the establishment of the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962, with Vikram Sarabhai as its inaugural Chairman. The organization, which would later become the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), was officially launched in 1969 under Sarabhai's leadership.
ISRO moved its headquarters to Bengaluru in 1969, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi appointed Dr. Satish Dhawan as its Chairman. He chose to remain at his job at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru, making the city the heart of India's space program. Today, Bengaluru continues to play a pivotal role in ISRO's endeavors, notably hosting the first mission of India's human space flight program, Gaganayaan-1, set to launch soon, followed by a manned mission in 2027 with three trained astronauts onboard.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
