First in Indian Science & Technology

Sir C.V. Raman received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for his discovery of the 'Raman Effect' — the inelastic scattering of photons. He was the first Asian and first non-White person to receive a Nobel Prize in a science discipline.

Aryabhata was India's first satellite, launched on April 19, 1975, by the Soviet Union's Intercosmos rocket. It was named after the 5th-century Indian mathematician and astronomer Aryabhata.

Dr. Vikram Sarabhai is considered the father of the Indian space programme. He established the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962 and was the first Chairman of ISRO.

India's first nuclear test was codenamed 'Smiling Buddha' (also called Pokhran-I), conducted on May 18, 1974, at Pokhran, Rajasthan, under PM Indira Gandhi. India became the sixth nation to test a nuclear device.

Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) in Maharashtra was India's first nuclear power plant, commissioned in 1969. It was established with US assistance under the Atoms for Peace programme.

PARAM 8000, developed by C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) in 1991, was India's first indigenously built supercomputer. It was developed after the US refused to sell Cray supercomputers to India on national security grounds.

Dr. Homi J. Bhabha is considered the father of India's nuclear programme. He founded the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), and chaired the Atomic Energy Commission of India.

SLV-3 (Satellite Launch Vehicle-3) became India's first successful indigenous satellite launch vehicle on July 18, 1980, placing the Rohini satellite into orbit. The project was led by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Amartya Sen received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998 for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory. His work on famines, development, and gender inequality has had global impact.

Chandrayaan-1, launched on October 22, 2008, by ISRO was India's first lunar mission. It made a major discovery — confirming the presence of water ice on the Moon's surface — and is considered one of ISRO's greatest achievements.

Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission) was India's first interplanetary mission, launched on November 5, 2013. It successfully entered Mars orbit in September 2014, making India the first country to succeed on its first Mars mission.

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is known as the 'Missile Man of India' for his crucial role in developing India's ballistic missile and space rocket programmes, including the Agni and Prithvi missiles. He later became the 11th President of India.

No Indian has served as Director-General of CERN as of 2026. However, Indian scientists have significantly contributed to CERN experiments. Satyendra Nath Bose's work on Bose-Einstein statistics inspired particle physics concepts but predates CERN.

Apsara was India's first nuclear reactor, built at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Trombay, Mumbai, and became operational in 1956. It was Asia's first operating nuclear reactor.

Dr. Vikram Sarabhai was the first Chairman of ISRO, serving from 1969 until his death in 1971. ISRO was formally established on August 15, 1969, and is headquartered in Bengaluru.

IRS-1A (Indian Remote Sensing Satellite 1A) was India's first indigenous remote sensing satellite, launched in March 1988 from the Soviet Union. It marked the beginning of India's earth observation programme.

Tessy Thomas, known as the 'Missile Woman of India', became the first woman to head a missile project (Agni-IV) in DRDO. She served as Director General of Aeronautical Systems and is credited with key contributions to India's missile programme.

Kalpana-1 (originally named METSAT) was India's first dedicated meteorological satellite, launched on September 12, 2002. It was renamed Kalpana-1 in honour of astronaut Kalpana Chawla after the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster in 2003.

INS Vikrant is India's first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier, commissioned on September 2, 2022. It is named after the original INS Vikrant that served in the 1971 war and marks a major milestone in India's defence self-reliance.

C.V. Raman received the Bharat Ratna in 1954, making him the first scientist to receive India's highest civilian honour. He had already won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for the discovery of the Raman Effect.