ISRO's tracking network, headquartered in Bengaluru. Its ground stations follow every ISRO rocket and run its Earth-observation, science and deep-space missions.
ISTRAC tracks every ISRO rocket from lift-off until the satellite separates, and works out its first orbit. It then runs ISRO's remote-sensing and science satellites day to day, using telemetry, tracking and command links.
It also supports ISRO's deep-space missions, set up the ground segment for NavIC, and builds radars for rocket tracking and weather.
ISTRAC was set up on 6 September 1976. It began as a single station at Sriharikota. Over five decades it grew into a network with stations in India and abroad.
It ran spacecraft operations for Chandrayaan-1, the Mars Orbiter Mission and the SPADEX docking experiment.
ISTRAC has ground stations at Bengaluru, Lucknow, Sriharikota, Port Blair and Thiruvananthapuram. Abroad, it has stations in Mauritius, Brunei and Biak in Indonesia. It also runs deep space network stations for missions beyond Earth orbit.