Aryabhata (satellite)

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Aryabhata
Aryabhata Satellite.jpg
File photo of Aryabhata, India's first indigenously built satellite.
Mission type Astrophysics
Operator ISRO
COSPAR ID 1975-033A OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
SATCAT no. 07753 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Mission durationPlanned: 6 months [1]
Experiments ended during 5th day in orbit [2]
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass360 kilograms (790 lb) [3] [1]
Power46 watts [1]
Start of mission
Launch date19 April 1975, 07:30 (1975-04-19UTC07:30Z) UTC [4]
Rocket Kosmos-3M [5]
Launch site Kapustin Yar 107/2
End of mission
Last contactMarch 1981 (1981-04) [1]
Decay date10 February 1992 [1]
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Perigee altitude 563 kilometres (350 mi) [1]
Apogee altitude 619 kilometres (385 mi) [1]
Inclination 50.7 degrees [1]
Period 96.46 minutes
Epoch 19 May 1975 [6]
 

Aryabhata was India's first satellite, [3] named after the famous Indian astronomer. [7] It was launched on 19 April 1975 [3] from Kapustin Yar, a Soviet rocket launch and development site in Astrakhan Oblast using a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle. It was built by ISRO, and launched by the Soviet Union as a part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme which provided access to space for friendly states.

Contents

Launch

It was launched by India on 19 April 1975 [3] 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). [8] The launch came from an agreement between India and the Soviet Union directed by UR Rao and signed in 1972. It allowed the USSR to use Indian ports for tracking ships and launching vessels in return for launching various different Indian satellites. [9]

On 19 April 1975, the satellite's 96.46-minute orbit had an apogee of 619 kilometres (385 mi) and a perigee of 563 kilometres (350 mi), at an inclination of 50.7 degrees. [6] [1] 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. [5] A power failure halted experiments after four days and 60 orbits, with all signals from the spacecraft lost after five days of operation. [2] Spacecraft mainframe remained active till March 1981. [1] Due to orbital decay, the satellite entered Earth's atmosphere on 10 February 1992. [1]

Legacy

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosmos 97</span>

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Kosmos 219, also known as DS-U2-D No.2, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 400 kilograms (880 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to investigate flows of charged particles in the magnetosphere of the Earth.

Kosmos 225, also known as DS-U1-Ya No.2, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 400 kilograms (880 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to investigate cosmic rays and flows of charged particles in the Earth's magnetosphere.

Kosmos 262, also known as DS-U2-GF No.1, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 352-kilogram (776 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to study the Sun.

Kosmos 230, also known as DS-U3-S No.2, was a satellite which was launched by the Soviet Union in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 400 kilograms (880 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to conduct multispectral imaging of the Sun.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Aryabhata". ISRO.gov.in. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  2. 1 2 Jha, Martand (17 April 2020). "Aryabhata: Remembering India's first satellite". The Interpreter. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Aryabhata" in The New Encyclopædia Britannica . Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 611.
  4. ↑ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "Aryabhata". URSC.gov.in. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  6. 1 2 McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "Aryabhata - The first indigenously built satellite".
  8. ↑ "Four sheds in Bengaluru and one big dream: How India's 1st satellite took form".
  9. ↑ Harvey, Brian (2000). The Japanese and Indian space programmes : two roads into space. London [u.a.]: Springer [u.a.] p. 133. ISBN   1-85233-199-2.
  10. ↑ Harvey, Brian (2000). The Japanese and Indian Space Programmes: Two Roads into Space. London: Springer. p. 134. ISBN   1-85233-199-2.
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