ISRO and NASA

NASA and ISRO are important agents for scientific research. Hence, the article aims to explain the function and differences of both research institutes.

ISRO

The idea of a space mission was provided by Vikram Sarabhai, which helped India to develop technologies for space services. Since 1969, ISRO has been working tirelessly to bring space service to uplift and improve national living.

Currently, it is holding its position in the sixth-largest space centres globally. This is attributed to a fleet of communication satellites maintained by ISRO known as INSAT. It also maintains remote sensing satellites known as IRS, which helps the country access fast communication.

ISRO is actively involved in researching and developing satellite products like broadcast, communication, disaster management, geography, telemedicine, cartography, and others. Such developments have made India a progressive developing nation.

The space centre has managed or achieved self-reliance through cost-efficient launch systems like Polar Satellite launch vehicle (PSLV). PSLV has become one of the major contributors to international collaborations owing to its high reliability and cost efficiencies.

ISRO has successfully contributed to the science and education of the country. ISRO collaborates with independent research centres that study remote sensing, autonomy, astrophysics, atmospheric science, etc.

ISRO believes that being proactive in developing technologies will prepare them for the future. ISRO has been developing heavy-lift launchers, spaceflight projects for humans, reusable launch vehicles, and others to optimize and enhance technology.

NASA

The establishment of NASA was done in 1958 to encourage peaceful applications for space and science. It is a global leader exploring space and is the largest civil program. It recruits a diverse working population and collaborates with contractors, academic institutes, and commercial and international collaborators to explore, discover, and expand knowledge.

The annual research and space exploration budget was approved at $23. 2 billion in 2021. It comprises only a 0.5% share of the total budget sanctioned by the US federal government. Only in the United States it has created jobs approximated at 312 000.

The value of these jobs had created an economic output of more than $64.3 billion in 2019. The research area of NASA is focused on studying the earth, climate, sun, solar systems and others. The research and studies have been confined to developing advanced aeronautics, electric propulsion and supersonic flights. It also funds space technologies and future exploration. At the current time, NASA’s administrative head is Bill Nelson.

Differences of NASA and ISRO

NASA	ISRO
NASA stands for National Aeronautics Space Administration	ISRO stands for Indian Space Research Organisation.
It originates from the United States of America.	ISRO is an India based organisation to encourage space and science exploitation.
It was established in the year 1958	It was established much later, that is 1969.
NASA has superseded National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)	In India, an Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) space program was established, further developing into ISRO.
The federal government supported it for creating a national space program to research aeronautics and aerospace.	It is the primary space centre located in India.
It has its headquarters in Washington DC in the United States of America.	The headquarters are located in the Bangalore region of India.
It is controlled and supervised by the government of the United States.	The supervisory and administrator functions are withheld by the Department of Science located in India.

Key successful programs	NASA	ISRO
	It launched its 1091 unmanned space shuttle. It also implemented 109 manned space missions.	ISRO developed the First Indian satellite. It was launched in collaboration with the Soviet Union in 1975.
	Visit moon is one of the successful programs organised by NASA	After five years, ISRO launched its second satellite named Rohini, completely based in India.
	It has launched the Skylab space station, and Space Shuttle supports the International Space Station.	It developed PSLV for launching different satellites for polar orbits.
Other key achievements		It had also launched GSLV for the placement of satellites within geostationary orbits.
		India successfully sent its first space vehicle to the moon, Chandrayan. Chandrayan is one of the first cost-effective space shuttles.
		In 2013, ISRO launched its first Mars Orbiter Mission.

Conclusion

ISRO and NASA are renowned space organisations that have developed many outstanding facilities that benefit civilians. Both NASA and ISRO originate from different nations and are funded heavily by the government. NASA was established in 1958 and collaborated with US-based contractors, academics and other related organisations. On the contrary, ISRO was established in the year 1969 aimed at developing space programs to foster economic development. Both space centres have succeeded in many space programs and missions regardless of their location, supervisory and administrative bodies.