50 Years of Aryabhata Satellite: A Milestone in India’s Space Odyssey

Aryabhata, launched on April 19, 1975, was India’s first indigenously developed satellite, marking a historic milestone in the nation’s space journey.
Developed by ISRO with a team of just 25 engineers, it was launched aboard the Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket from Kapustin Yar, Russia, due to India’s lack of indigenous launch capabilities.
Named after the 5th-century mathematician and astronomer, Aryabhata was a quasi-spherical satellite designed for X-ray astronomy, solar physics, and ionospheric studies, and generated 46 watts of power through its solar panels.
Though communication was lost after 5 days, it remained in orbit for years, laying the foundation for India’s future missions like Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan, and Aditya-L1, and becoming a symbol of national pride, even featured on the two-rupee banknote.