Aryabhata, first unmanned Earth satellite built by India. It was named for a prominent Indian astronomer and mathematician of the 5th century ce. 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.

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. Its launching mass was 360 kg (794 lb).

Aryabhata
Aryabhata

It was named after the 5th century astronomer and mathematician from India by the same name.

Aryabhata Banknote
Aryabhata Banknote

The satellite’s image appeared on the reverse of Indian two rupee banknotes between 1976 and 1997.

Aryabhata Post Office Ticket
Aryabhata Post Office Ticket

The satellite reentered on the Earth’s atmosphere on 11 February 1992. To mark this historic event, Indian post office launched a stamp of rupees 25 in 1975.

It was built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) with following main objectives:

  • Design and fabrication of a satellite and the evaluation of its performance in orbit.
  • Have the capability to perform a series of complex operations on the satellite in the orbit.
  • To have the capability to set-up the necessary ground stations required to communicate with the satellite.
  • Test the capability to fabricate, test and qualify the sophisticated spacecraft systems.
  • Conduct scientific experiments in X-ray astronomy, Aeronomics and Solar Physics.

The Aryabhata’s satellite launch came from an agreement between India and the Soviet Union which was directed by U.R. Rao (ISRO chairman) and signed in 1972, which allowed the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) to use Indian ports for tracking ships and launching vessels in return for launching India satellites.

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.

According the Soviet media reports, the satellite continued to function and transmit information for some time.

A toilet in Bangalore was converted into a data receiving center for India’s first satellite Aryabhata.