Aryabhata: Remembering India’s first satellite

The Aryabhata was the first unmanned Earth satellite built by India. Forty-five years ago, on 19 April 1975, the rocket thrusters fired to launch India’s first indigenous satellite. It remains one of the proudest moments, not only for India’s space program but as a landmark in the history of the country.

Hyderabad:The Aryabhata spacecraft, named after the famous Indian astronomer, was India's first satellite; it was completely designed and fabricated in India and launched by a Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket from Kapustin Yar on April 19, 1975.

Aryabhata, first unmanned Earth satellite built by India. It was named for a prominent Indian astronomer and mathematician of the 5th century. The satellite was assembled at Peenya, near Bangalore, but was launched from within the Soviet Union by a Russian-made rocket on April 19, 1975.

Aryabhata weighed 794 pounds (360 kg) and was instrumented to explore conditions in Earth’s ionosphere, measure neutrons and gamma rays from the Sun, and perform investigations in X-ray astronomy. The scientific instruments had to be switched off during the fifth day in orbit because of a failure in the satellite’s electrical power system. Useful information, nevertheless, was collected during the five days of operation.

Aryabhata: Remembering India’s first satellite

It remains one of the proudest moments, not only for India’s space program, but as a landmark in the history of the country. Forty-five years ago, on 19 April 1975, the rocket thrusters fired to launch India’s first indigenous satellite. It was named Aryabhata, yet like many initial forays beyond the Earth’s atmosphere, the project stumbled and ran afoul of roadblocks, a reminder that is still relevant today about the precariousness of ambition.

The Indian satellite program began to take shape in the early 1970s, although local scientists had long dreamed of an indigenous Indian program since the time of Sputnik. After the eventual success of the Indian built Rohini rocket program in the 1960s, the Indian Space Research Organisation shifted focus to

building indigenous satellites. Vikram Sarabhai, the ISRO founder and a renowned physicist who also had a role in the development of India’s nuclear industry, appointed a team of 25 engineers and researchers at Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad. Under the direction of space scientist Dr. U R Rao, a 100- kilogram satellite was designed, intended to be launched by the United States using the Scout launch vehicle – a multistage rocket seen as reliable and affordable for India.

Did you know India's first spacecraft Aryabhata was launched by Russia?

Aryabhata, the first satellite built by India, was launched on this day April 19, in the year 1975. Aryabhata was built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to conduct experiments in X-ray astronomy, aeronomics, and solar physics. The spacecraft was a 26-sided polygon with a diameter of 1.4 metres.

On its 45th anniversary of Aryabhata's launch, here are facts about the first unmanned Indian Earth satellite-

1. The satellite was named Aryabhata by India's first woman Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. It was named after the prominent Indian astronomer and mathematician of the 5th century bearing the same name.

2.The 360-kilogram satellite built by ISRO was launched by Russia from their Kapustin Yar rocket launch and development site using a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle. The agreement between India and the Soviet Union directed by U.R. Rao in 1972 allowed the USSR to use Indian ports for tracking ships and launching vessels as a token for launching Indian satellites.

3. The satellite had its data receiving centre in Bangalore, where a toilet was converted to serve the purpose.

4.A failure in the satellite's electrical power system halted experiments for four days. The spacecraft incurred a power fall which resulted in the ceasing of its functioning and transmission of information prior to its launch.

5. The project of the satellite was initially pegged at Rs 3 crore but cost a little more, as furniture and other things had to be bought.

6.The historic event was celebrated by the Reserve Bank of India and the satellite's image appeared on the reverse of Indian 2 rupee banknotes between 1976 and 1997.

7.To commemorate the event, both India and Russia released commemorative stamps and first day covers.

8.It had a real-time data transmission rate of 256 bits/sec with an internal temperature ranging from 0 to 40 degrees Celsius.

9. Aryabhata re-entered Earth's atmosphere after 17 years of its former launch on February 11, 1992.

Aryabhata satellite launched from the Soviet Union Aryabhata was the first unmanned Earth satellite built by India, assembled at Peenya, near Bangalore, but launched from the Soviet Union by a Russian-made rocket in 1975. Aryabhata weighed 360 kilograms, with instruments to explore conditions in Earth’s ionosphere, measure neutrons and gamma rays from the Sun, and perform investigations in X-ray astronomy. The scientific instruments had to be switched off during the fifth day in orbit because of a failure in the satellite’s electrical power system. Useful information, nevertheless, was collected during the five days of operation.

A roaring success, perhaps not. But even this somewhat chequered episode is important to recall in the context of the most recent setbacks to the Indian Space Program. An attempt last year to land the Chandrayaan-2 probe on the Moon failed, leading to great national disappointment.

Yet the story of Aryabhata should continue to inspire awe and the belief that scientists and engineers can overcome setbacks. The Aryabhata’s launch was successful at a time when leading space powers had little faith in India’s chances to produce an indigenous satellite. It is a reminder of the distance the Indian Space Program has travelled in the last 45 years.

Aryabhata may not have been a complete success the project opened new possibilities for ISRO which runs most cost-effective space program in the world.

ARYABHATA satellite-

• Mission Scientific/ Experimental
• Weight 360 kg
• Onboard power 46 Watts
• Communication VHF band
• Stabilization Spinstabilize
• Payload X-ray Astronomy Aeronomy & Solar Physics
• Launch date April 19, 1975
• Launch site Volgograd Launch Station(presently in Russia)
• Launch vehicle C-1 Intercosmos
• Orbit 563 x 619 km
• Inclination 50.7 deg
• Mission life 6 months(nominal), Spacecraft mainframe active till March,1981
• Orbital Life Nearly seventeen years (Re-entered on February 10, 1992)
• Launch Mass: 360 kg
• Mission Life: Nearly seventeen years
• Power: 46 Watts C-1 Intercosmos
• Type of Satellite: Experimental
• Manufacturer: ISRO
• Owner: ISRO
• Application: Experimental

Facts

• The Aryabhata was named after the 5th century astronomer and mathematician of the same name.

• The Aryabhata's image appeared on the reverse of Indian 2 rupee banknotes between 1976 and 1997.

• The Aryabhata's launch came from an agreement between India and the Soviet Union directed by U.R. Rao and signed in 1972, which allowed the USSR to use India ports for tracking ships and launching vessels in return for launching India satellites.

• The Aryabhata satellite reentered the Earth's atmosphere on 11 February 1992, 17 years after its launch.

• The Aryabhata satellite was launched from Kapustin Yar rocket launch and development site using a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle.

• After the launch, a power failure halted experiments onboard the Aryabhata after four days and 60 orbits with all signals from the spacecraft lost after five days of operation. According the Soviet media reports, the satellite continued to function and transmit information for some time.

• The Aryabhata was built to conduct experiments in X-ray astronomy, aeronomics, and solar physics.

• On it's launch, the Aryabhata's 96.46-minute orbit had an apogee of 611 kilometres (380 mi) and a perigee of 568 kilometres (353 mi), at an inclination of 50.6 degrees.

• The Aryabhata was a 26-sided polyhedron 1.4 metres (4.6 ft) in diameter. All faces (except the top and bottom) were covered with solar cells.

• It became the basis of our learning about satellite technology and designing.

• Along with NASA, ISRO also developed a system that allows us to use space communications system for TV broadcasting.

• It was called the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE).

• This one-year program focused on experimenting how satellite broadcasting can be used to educate the masses in rural and urban India.