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India's first satellite

P. SOLOMON DHANARAJ

The successful launching of India's first satellite Aryabhata on April 19, 1975, ushered in a new era in India's space research. Named after the famous Indian astronomer and mathematician of the 5th century, the spacecraft was designed and built by Indian Space Research Organisation at Bangalore. It was, however, put into orbit from a Soviet cosmodrome. Its orbit was 500 km above the earth, circling it once in every 90 minutes. The postal department brought out a special stamp the very next day of the launch. This 25 p. stamp featured an artist's impression of the satellite circling in its orbit over the earth.

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