Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: ISRO
Context: The U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) celebrated Satellite Technology Day (STD) – 2024, marking the 50th anniversary of the successful launch of India’s first satellite, Aryabhata, on April 19, 1975.
About Aryabhata:
- Aryabhata was India’s first satellite, launched on April 19, 1975 from Kapustin Yar, a Soviet rocket launch and development site.
- The satellite was built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and launched by the Soviet Union as part of the Soviet Interkosmos program.
- It was named after the 5th-century Indian astronomer and mathematician Aryabhata.
- The satellite was instrumented to explore conditions in Earth’s ionosphere, measure neutrons and gamma rays from the Sun, and perform investigations in X-ray astronomy.
- It carried out three experiments, one each in X-ray astronomy, Solar Physics and Aeronomy.
