1st artificial satellite of india

Forty-six years ago, on this day, India made history when it launched its first artificial satellite Aryabhata, thus making her entry into the world of satellite technology. Here's all you need to know about the satellite. When and how was the satellite launched? It was launched on April 19, 1975, from Kapustin Yar, a Russian rocket launch and development site using a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle. It was built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The launch came from an agreement between India and the Soviet Union signed in 1972. It allowed the USSR to use Indian ports for tracking ships and launching vessels in return for launching various different Indian satellites. What was the purpose of the satellite? It was built to conduct experiments in X-ray astronomy, aeronomic, and solar physics. The satellite’s 96-minute orbit had an apogee of six hundred and eleven kilometres and a perigee of five hundred and sixty-eight kilometres, at an inclination of roughly fifty degrees. 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. However, useful information was collected during the five days of operation. The satellite returned to the Earth’s atmosphere on February 11, 1992. How much did it cost? 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. What were its features? Aryabhata weighed 360 kil...

By Maitphang Syiem The space journey for Indian scientists and engineers was not a cakewalk. There were many unimaginable hurdles back then when it took off, however, there is something that Indians believe in. It’s called, “Lage Raho.” They stayed tuned and persisted with consistency and perseverance and that made Indians leapfrog, surpassing many hurdles to becoming a leading nation in space technology. “That’s one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind,” as stated by Neil Armstrong when he first stepped on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969 and becoming the first man to have landed on the moon is epic. It will always stay in the minds of many of us. Ever since, the age for space exploration has progressed by leaps and bounds. The US and the Soviets were the two nations that were in the race for space and they are even more aggressive now. Their space programmes have become role models and inspirations for other developing nations in the quest for space technology. Our own Indian space programme had a humble beginning, starting off with (INCOSPAR) Indian National Committee for Space Research which was set up by the versatile industrialist, scientist, educator and a visionary late Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and later superseded what is known today as Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on August 15, 1969. The space journey for Indian scientists and engineers was not a cakewalk. There were many unimaginable hurdles back then when it took off, however, there is so...

The reason for the ISRO presence at the Soviet facility, the rocket was carrying India's first ever satellite - Aryabhata - into space. The launch kick-started an amazing space journey which has seen India send a satellite to Mars and create a world record for the most numbers of satellites launched by one rocket (104). However, Aryabhatta was not the only name suggested to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by ISRO for India's first satellite. The other two names suggested were Maitri (which translates to friendship) and Jawahar (after her father, India's first PM, Jawaharlal Nehru). However, Mrs Gandhi chose Aryabhata, which was also the name at the top of the list suggested by ISRO. Once in space, the Aryabhatta completed one revolution around the earth every 96.46 minutes (1 hour 36.46 minutes). At its closest point to the earth, the Aryabhata was 568-kilometres from the Earth, and at its furthest, it was 611-kilometers from the planet humans call home. (image viastampexindia.com) Regarding shape and size, the 360-kilogram Aryabhata satellite was a 26-sided polyhedron 1.4 metres across in diameter. Almost every panel of the satellite (excluding the top and bottom sections) was covered in solar cells which generated electricity for the satellite's 46W power supply system. (image viafreeimagescollection.com) The Aryabhata carried instruments that explored conditions in the Earth's ionosphere, measured neutrons and gamma rays from the Sun, and performed investigations in X-ray ...

In India, space exploration started in 1967 when India launched its first toy rocket RH-75. After it India launched its first artificial satellite namely Arya Bhatta on March 19, 1975. The first Indian who went into the space is Rakesh Sharma. Then, India launched its first experimental communication satellite namely APPLE (Ariane Passanger Pay Load Experiment) on June 19, 1981. Thereafter, India launched many satellites in series in the space like IRS-1A.IRS-1B, IRS-1C, INSAT-1, INSAT-2, INSAT-3 and Rohini satellites. India also developed and tested successfully Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). In India all these activities for the development of space science are under the control of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). ISRO is an organization established by government of India to carry out research and developmental activities related with space science. The various tasks which have been assigned to ISRO are: • To develop expertise to fabricate launch vehicles (rockets), rocket propellants and their control and guidance system. • To prepare designs of artificial satellites and to fabricate artificial satellites. To achieve these objects ISRO has developed Indian Space Research Programme. The main features of Indian Space Research Programme are: • Development of expertise in the field of planning, designing and fabrication of artificial satellites. • Development of launch vehicles. • Establishment of Earth St...

See some key dates relating to early discoveries about natural and artificial satellites in this timeline. 6th century BCE – Ancient Greek geocentric model Ancient Greek astronomers believe the Earth is the centre of the Universe and that all celestial bodies orbit the Earth. Anaximander describes this in c550 BCE. Aristotle (384–322 BCE) and Claudius Ptolemy (c100–c170 CE) develop more complex geocentric models. 14th century – Ibn al-Shatir anticipates Copernicus Islamic astronomer Ibn al-Shatir (1304–1375) of the Maragha school accepts the geocentric model but produces configurations that challenge the Ptolemaic model. His calculations are similar to the later calculations of Copernicus. 1543 – Copernicus’s heliocentric model Polish astronomer Copernicus (1473–1543) proposes that the Sun is stationary in the centre of the Universe and the Earth and other planets revolve around it. The church suppresses this controversial idea but it revolutionises astronomy. 1572 – Tycho Brahe’s accurate measurements Danish astronomer Tycho (Tyge) Brahe (1546–1601) designs and builds instruments that allow him to accurately observe stellar and planetary positions. His records of the motion of Mars are later used by Kepler. 1609–1610 – Galileo and heliocentrism Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei’s improvements to the telescope allow him to observe Venus’s phases, the largest satellites of Jupiter, a supernova and sunspots. His discoveries prove the Copernican heliocentric system. The Roma...