ISRO Organizational Structure Explained | How India's Space Agency Works from Top to Bottom"
Today, we’re diving deep into the Organizational Structure of ISRO, India’s premier space agency, to help you understand how it’s all set up—right from the top with the Prime Minister, all the way down to the various centers and components that drive India’s space missions.”
“Let’s start at the very top:
• At the highest level is the Prime Minister of India, who oversees the entire space programme.
• Reporting to the Prime Minister is the Department of Space, which governs India’s space activities.”
1. Autonomous Bodies, and
2. ISRO—the Indian Space Research Organisation itself—along with other government undertakings.”
“Under Autonomous Bodies, the major units are:
• PRL – Physical Research Laboratory
• NARL – National Atmospheric Research Laboratory
• NE SAC – North Eastern Space Applications Centre
• IIST – Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology”
“Now, let’s zoom into ISRO. It comprises:
• ISRO Council – advisory body
• VSSC – Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
• LPSC – Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre
• SDSC – Satish Dhawan Space Centre
• URSC – U R Rao Satellite Centre
• SAC – Space Applications Centre
• NRSC – National Remote Sensing Centre
• HSFC – Human Space Flight Centre
• IPRC – ISRO Propulsion Complex
• IISU – ISRO In Space Utilisation
• DECU - Development and Educational Communication Unit
• ISTRAC – ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network
• MCF – Master Control Facility
• LEOS – Laboratory for Electro Optical Systems
• IIRS – Indian Institute of Remote Sensing”
“Additionally, the Department of Space includes:
• IN SPACe, an enabling regulatory body, and
• CPSEs – Central Public Sector Enterprises:
o ANTRIX – ISRO’s commercial arm
o NSIL – NewSpace India Limited”
“All of this operates under the watchful eye of the Space Commission, which frames space policy, and their lead official is the Chairman of ISRO, who also holds the position of Secretary of the Department of Space.”
“As of January 14, 2025, the current Chairman and Secretary is Dr. V. Narayanan, a cryogenic engineer who was previously Director of LPSC. He leads ISRO during major missions like Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan 4, and India’s first space station, following his predecessor S. Somanath
“Let’s quickly profile some core ISRO centres:
• VSSC in Thiruvananthapuram: Develops SLV, PSLV, GSLV launch vehicles
• LPSC in Thiruvananthapuram & Bengaluru: Designs and tests liquid propulsion systems
• SDSC in Sriharikota: Handles satellite launch operations
• URSC in Bengaluru: Builds satellites—like AARYABHATA, IRS, and INSAT
Other centres include SAC, NRSC, ISTRAC, MCF, LEOS, IPRC, and IIRS—all ensuring ISRO’s missions succeed end-to-end.”
“In summary:
1. Prime Minister → Department of Space →
2. Autonomous Bodies & ISRO (which has ISRO Council – advisory body & 14 major centres) →
3. CPSEs (ANTRIX, NSIL) →
“And that’s your complete breakdown of ISRO’s organizational structure!
For specific information, go to the link given in the description. For more information about the various branches of ISRO and other information, watch further episodes."
If this helped you understand how India’s space missions are run, hit like, subscribe, and tell us in the comments which ISRO centre you want us to explore next. See you next time on Knowledge Hub - Information Center!”
