Launched in August 1961, the Indian space programme has made steady progress over the years. The participation of Indian scientists in the International Geophysical Year (1957–58) marked the beginning of India's international cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space. Conceived as a civilian scientific programme in the beginning, its practical applications were expanded later to fulfil the defence and development needs of the country. In the process there emerged a close coordination between civilian space and missile programmes The denial of technology by the developed countries forced India to indigenize its programmes and create synergy between defence and development. Given the constraints on the civilian space programme, its achievements have been quite outstanding. While the development of the Indian space programme is well researched, the process of its evolution is understudied. This article seeks to fill this gap.
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