Aryabhata (satellite)

Launch

It was launched on 19 April 1975 from Kapustin Yar, a Russian rocket launch and development site in Astrakhan Oblast, using a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle. It was built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The launch was based on an agreement between India and the Soviet Union directed by UR Rao and signed in 1972. The USSR agreed to launch various Indian satellites in exchange for using Indian ports for tracking ships and launching vessels.

On 19 April 1975, the satellite's 96.46-minute orbit had an apogee of 619 km and a perigee of 563 km, at an inclination of 50.7 degrees. It was built to conduct experiments in X-ray astronomy, aeronomics, and solar physics. The spacecraft was a 26-sided polyhedron 1.4 m in diameter. All faces (except the top and bottom) were covered with solar cells supported by a Ni-Cd battery. It employed passive thermal systems and cold gas jets for spin stabilisation. Following launch, the satellite experienced tumbling at 0.3° per second and the aeronomy instrument’s power supply failed. However, engineers stabilised the satellite at 50 revolutions/minute by the 45th orbit. A power failure halted experiments after four days and 60 orbits, with all signals from the spacecraft lost after five days of operation. The Spacecraft mainframe remained active till March 1981. The satellite entered Earth's atmosphere on 10 February 1992 due to orbital decay.

Legacy

• It was named after the 6th-century astronomer and mathematician Aryabhata.
• The satellite's image appeared on the reverse of Indian two-rupee banknotes between 1976 and 1997 (Pick catalog).

File:1984 CPA 5493.jpg|1984 USSR stamp featuring Bhaskara-I, Bhaskara-II and Aryabhata satellites File:2 Rupees (Reverse) Aryabhata.jpg|Illustration of Aryabhata spacecraft on 2 currency bill

References

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References

1. "50 years of Aryabhata: Satellite that launched India’s space journey". The Times of India.