Jammu, Jan. 24 -- As Finance Minister presents her interim budget for 2024-25 on February 1 this year, she has to keep in mind that this year promises to be a watershed year for India's space exploration! The year, 2024, has been marked as 'The Year of Gaganyaan' by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief S Somanath, who elaborated on the Gaganyaan timeline.

At this critical juncture in the planning and implementation of this historic space project, ISRO has scheduled important mission-related tests and demonstrations throughout the entire year. The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), a collaborative effort between NASA and ISRO, is also scheduled for launch in 2024.

Besides NISAR, ISRO has many other ambitious projects ...