Did you know that it takes 50 days to integrate the GSLV Mk-III? A Rajarajan, Director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, goes into interesting mission facts such as this and more in this edition of #RocketScience.

From transporting rocket parts on bicycles and bullock carts to reaching mars in the first attempt, Here is the story of ISRO...Indian Space Research Organization! In the 1950s, as the United States and the Soviet Union entered the Space race, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru along with Dr. Homi Bhabha and Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, saw a dream to harness space technology for the development of India. So, with a vision to turn this dream into reality, the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was set up in 1962. Slowly and steadily, INCOSPAR grew and finally, because of inconsistent efforts made by distinct minds, it got converted to ISRO on August 15,1969. And, this is when the journey to become one of the world's finest space organizations actually started. In its former years, ISRO neither had any experienced workforce nor did it have any access to the advanced resources like the developed nations. Moreover, after Sarabhai’s unexpected death, everything seemed to shatter down. This is when Satish Dhawan came in and took charge of ISRO in 1972 and proved himself instrumental in expanding ISRO to what it is today. So, with the limited assets at hand, ISRO began its journey to space. Soon, ISRO built India's first satellite, Aryabhata, which was launched by the Soviet Union on 19 April 1975. In 1980, Rohini became the first satellite to be placed in orbit by an Indian-made launch vehicle, SLV-3. Subsequently, ISRO developed two other rockets: the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for launching satellites into polar orbits and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) for placing satellites into geostationary orbits. However, ISRO hit its first major milestone in 2008. In 2008, ISRO got a satellite into orbit around the Moon during its Chandrayaan-1 mission. This mission eventually led to a pathbreaking discovery of water on Moon, thus adding a golden feather to ISRO's cap of achievements. Another major highlight for ISRO came in 2013 when India launched its Mars Orbiter Mission, better known as Mangalyaan. Mangalyaan entered Mars' orbit on 24 September 2014. This made India the first nation to succeed in its maiden attempt to Mars. With this, ISRO became the fourth space agency in the world, as well as the first space agency in Asia, to reach the Mars orbit. Not to forget, the entire cost of ISRO's Mangalayan mission was way less than the overall budget of the movie "Interstellar". The list of milestones is not over yet. In 2017, ISRO set up another world record by launching 104 satellites in a single rocket. In 2019, with an aim to map and study the variations in lunar surface composition, as well as the location and abundance of lunar water, ISRO launched its Chandrayan 2 mission, which has been partially successful. Undoubtedly, ISRO, like any other space organization has witnessed several failures as well. Still, it has not stopped to dream high. And now, ISRO is gearing up for its manned mission named Gaganyaan, which will carry three astronauts into space for at least seven days in 2022. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam once said, "Man needs difficulties in life because they are necessary to enjoy success". These words are something that ISRO has truly lived by. And, eventually, by successfully demonstrating its unique and cost-effective technologies, ISRO has gained its place among the elite space agencies in the world over the years.

It isn’t just the adults who are excited about Chandrayaan 2! Here’s what some students had to share about the upcoming mission and what they hope will be its outcome.

Isro beckons 2020 . @indianastronomers6321

Ever wondered about Pragyan’s different parts and how it functions? Watch the full video to find out!

Here's some exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage of how Chandrayaan 2 was built. Tell us what you think about it in the comments below.

On this edition of #RocketScience, P Sreekumar — Director of SSPO — helps us understand why we are going back to the Moon, and how Chandrayaan 2 serves to identify the presence of water below the lunar surface