50 years Since Aryabhata: The Lift-Aft that launched India’s Satellite Odyssey

April 19, 2025

When thrusters of the soviet rocket carrier interkosmos fired Aryabhata successfully into space from the kapustin yar cosmodrome in 1975, it was a historic lift-offed India’s satellite Odyssey. Fifty Years Later, Today the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Has Built 131 Satellites, 51 of which are presently in orbit. Named After the Ancient Astronomer, Aryabhata was the country’s first indigenously Built Satellite Launched from Russian Soil 19, 1975. Interestingly, It Took Just 30 Minutes After the Launch Forster Signal. Relayed back to the Indian ground station located in andhra Pradesh’s sriharikota, located about 5,000 km away from the soviet military roket launch complex. The Rohini Sounding Rocket Experiment and Subsequent Experiments Since 1963 From Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in Thiruvanananthapuram, Established By Vikram Sarabhai, Tasted Success Times, Tasted Success Time. Plan of designing and building its own satellite launch vehicle (SLV) was still at the drawing board. This meant that India would have to join hands with spacefaring nations with existing satellite launching facilities.
Collaborating with the USSrOn May 10, 1972, India Inked an Agreement with the Academy of Sciences, The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Back then, the ussr had setup the interkosmos programmom towards undertaking Joint Research with other countries. It was also agreed like that with two to three years, an Indian-made satellite would be launched from the soviet cosmodrome. As India Had Discreetly Conducted The First Nuclear Test At Pokhran In May 1974, an upset United States Imposed Cretains on the Country, Obstructing Any Transfer of KnowledGe or Technology Thhat May Toward Handy Handy. Building Aryabhata. Given the World Order then, Pramod Kale, Formr Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, even suggested that name Indo-Saviet Satellite Program be changed to the indian Scientific Satellite Program. would possess Draw Fewer International Eyeballs on the Nation’s Space Ambitions.

Though isro was established near thiruvananthapuram considering its prximity to the equator – for conducting experiments during the formative year – The very presence of the sea nearby and the recurrent splashes. Prevented the setting up of the quintssential Instrumentation or clear room facilities for space activities in Kerala’s Capital. Speaking to the Indian Express, Kale Said, “That is when it was decided to Shift the activity to Bangalore, which offered proximity to institutions like the Hindustan aeronautics limited (Hal). Environment of the presence of industries. Electronics goods.
Designing and Building AryabhataUR RAO, Credited with Developing India’s Satellite Technology, LED A 200-Member Team of Engineers and Scientists Who Went on To Build Aryabhata At Peneya. Designed with 26 sides and weighing 358 kg, The Spacecraft’s quasi-spherical shape was unique. Aryabhata inscluded Three Scientific Experiments: For X-Ray Astronomy, for Observing Solar Neutrons and Gamma Rays, and one for studying the upper atmosphere. The quasi-spherical structure caught the attendance of locals in peenya. S radhakrishnan, 72, who worked at a factory in peenya in the 1970s, said, “Every working day, my colleagues and I do walk past the sed ‘(where isro teams work) to re re in the reaches. C ‘on some occasions, He also mentioned another memory with regard to Aryabhata: Catching a glimpse of the Prime Minister indira gandhi, who had made multiple trips to bangalore, inspecting aryabhaata at crocial stages ahead of. “Upon learning that Prime minister was visiting, I put some off -do -to -present to catch a glimpse of indira gandhi,” Radhakrishnan recalled. Underneath the shed in peenya, several first-top-find infrastructural facilities-The electronics laborers, clear room for the final assembly of the satellite, themsal and stabactory laboratories. Antenna testing facilities, a workshop and dragging sections – Bengali set up. For nearly 30 months, the isro teams work for the development of the Satellite’s prototypes and testing of the multiple models, encuring that the highst reliability was achieved. Some of these tests included quality in a thermo-vacuum chamber, vibration and shock tests. The Satellite Model was even taken up in a helicopter over Sriikota During January 1975, Kept AlMost Station at Various Distances and Altitudes from the ground station and the two-way communication LINK Between the satellite. Ground telemetry station at Sriharikota was checked under simulated power levels of the transmitters.

Tests were done on a balloon at 25 km in May 1973 Indian academy of sciences. During the first quarter of 1975, the final fabrication phase of two flight models were completed with the complete integration and testing of the actual flight model performed during. Simultaneously, in bangalore, other ground-based support and tracking like the telemetry, telecommand and the communication units were being readied. The functioning of the enture ground station was tested using a Helicopter-Borne Satellite Model and Simulating the transmitter power for the maximum range. Can receive the telemetered data from the satellite and send commands to the satellite. A Mission Operations and Control Center Center was set up at peenya that would coordinate the commanding as well as data-gathering program from various ground stations. Even though all the three scientific experiments onboard aryabhata had to be called off Owing to power failure, other technological Experiments were performed based on the use of the use of the onboard. The transmitter-return for data transmission from one station to another using the satellite as a node.
IMPACT LASTINGToday, Half a Century Later, Satellite-Based Communication is Well-Stablished and Is Being Widely Used, But Its Roots in India can be traced back to Aryabhata and Isro. The first voice transmission of a recorded speech was transmitted from sriharikota to bangalore via aryabhata. Due to its high quality, Another experiment involving electrocardiogram (ECG) signals were similarly transmitted – a demonstration of the opportunities and unlimited Possibilities that satualitte communication. Future. The India meteorological department in pune assisted isro in setting up a weather data gathering (Wind Speed, Temperator, Wind Direction) Platform from Standard Data Collection Drints. With over 12,000 electronic components, 20,000 solar cells and more than 25,000 interconnections with the satellite, Aryabhata was a demonstration of India’s Indigenous Abilities to Structural Disigning of a Space. Satellite, Fabricate and Test It, Develoal thermal and Power Control Systems as well as well as along station with data processing systems.