 Aryabhata, India's first indigenously built satellite | |
| Mission type | Astrophysics |
|---|---|
| Operator | ISRO |
| COSPAR ID | 1975-033A |
| SATCATno. | 7753 |
| Mission duration | 5 years, 11 months (Experiments ended during 5th day in orbit)[1] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | ISRO |
| Launch mass | 360 kg (790 lb)[2][3] |
| Dimensions | 1.4 × 1.4 m (4.6 × 4.6 ft) |
| Power | 46 watts[3] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 19 April 1975, 07:30 (1975-04-19UTC07:30Z) UTC[4] |
| Rocket | Kosmos-3M[5] |
| Launch site | Kapustin Yar107/2 |
| Contractor | Yuzhnoye |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | March 1981 (1981-04)[3] |
| Decay date | 10 February 1992[3] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 563 km (350 mi)[3] |
| Apogee altitude | 619 km (385 mi)[3] |
| Inclination | 50.7 degrees[3] |
| Period | 96.46 minutes |
| Epoch | 19 May 1975[6] |
| Transponders | |
| Bandwidth | 256 bit/sec[7] |
| Capacity | 137.44 MHz[7] |
Aryabhata wasIndia's firstsatellite,[2] named afterthe astronomer.[3] It was launched on 19 April 1975[2] fromKapustin Yar, aSoviet rocket launch and development site inAstrakhan Oblast using aKosmos-3M launch vehicle. It was built byISRO and launched by theSoviet Union as a part of the SovietInterkosmos programme which provided access to space for friendly states.
It was launched on 19 April 1975[2] fromKapustin Yar, aRussian rocket launch and development site inAstrakhan Oblast, using aKosmos-3M launch vehicle. It was built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).[8] The launch was based on an agreement between India and the Soviet Union directed byUR 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.[9]
On 19 April 1975, the satellite's 96.46-minute orbit had anapogee of 619 kilometres (385 mi) and a perigee of 563 kilometres (350 mi), at an inclination of 50.7 degrees.[6][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 withsolar cells supported by aNi-Cd battery. It employed passive thermal systems andcold gas jets forspin stabilisation.[5][10] 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.[10] A power failure halted experiments after four days and 60 orbits, with all signals from the spacecraft lost after five days of operation.[1] The Spacecraft mainframe remained active till March 1981.[3] The satellite entered Earth's atmosphere on 10 February 1992 due to orbital decay.[3]
_Aryabhata.jpg)
| Organisations |
|  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Programmes | |||||||
| Satellites | |||||||
| Space observatories |
| ||||||
| Lunar and planetary spacecraft | |||||||
| Human spaceflight | |||||||
| Launch vehicles |
| ||||||
| Engines |
| ||||||
| Spaceports | |||||||
| Research facilities | |||||||
| Communications | |||||||
| Legislation and policy | |||||||
| Private companies | |||||||
| Related |
| ||||||
| Satellites |
| | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space probes |
| |||||||||||
| Human spaceflight | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
