Aryabhata (satellite)

Satellite

Aryabhata

India's first indigenously built Satellite launched into Space

Mission typeAstrophysicsOperatorISROCOSPAR ID1975-033ASATCAT №7752Mission duration4 days achievedSpacecraft propertiesLaunch mass360 kg (794 lb)^[1]Power46 wattsStart of missionLaunch date19 April 1975, 07:30 UTC^[2]RocketKosmos-3MLaunch siteKapustin Yar 107/2End of missionLast contact24 April 1975Decay date12 February 1992Orbital parametersReference systemGeocentricqRegimeLow EarthPerigee568 kilometres (353 mi)Apogee611 kilometres (380 mi)Inclination50.6 degreesPeriod96.46 minutesEpoch19 May 1975^[3]

Aryabhata (Hindi: आर्यभट्ट) was India's firstsatellite,^[1] named after an Indian astronomerof the same name.^[4]

LaunchEdit

It was launched by India on 19 April 1975^[1]from Kapustin Yar a Russian rocket launch and development site in Astrakhan Oblastusing a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle. It was built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to gain experience in building and operating a satellite in space.^[5]The launch came from an agreement between India and the Soviet Union directed by UR Raoand signed in 1972. It allowed the USSR to use Indian ports for tracking ships and launching vessels in return for launching Indian satellites.^[6]

On 19 April 1975, the satellite'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.^[3] It was built to conduct experiments in X-ray astronomy, aeronomics, and solar physics. The spacecraft 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. A power failure halted experiments after four days and 60 orbits with all signals from the spacecraft lost after five days of operation. According to Soviet media reports, the satellite continued to function and transmit information for some time. The satellite returned on the Earth's atmosphere on 11 February 1992.

LegacyEdit

1984 USSR stamp featuring Bhaskara-I, Bhaskara-II and Aryabhata satellites

Aryabhata was named for the 5th century astronomer and mathematician from India by the same name.^[7]The satellite's image appeared on the reverse of Indian 2 rupee banknotes between 1976 and 1997 (Pick catalog) and one rupee note number: P-79a-m).^[8]