Aryabhata was India's first satellite, named after the astronomer of the same name. It was launched on 19 April 1975 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.
It was launched on 19 April 1975 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). The launch was based on an agreement between India and the Soviet Union directed by UR 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.
On 19 April 1975, the satellite's 96.46-minute orbit had an apogee of and a perigee of , at an inclination of 50.7 degrees. It was built to conduct experiments in X-ray astronomy, aeronomics, and solar physics. The spacecraft was a 26-sided polyhedron in diameter. All faces (except the top and bottom) were covered with solar cells supported by a Ni-Cd battery. It employed passive thermal systems and cold gas jets for spin stabilisation. Following launch, the satellite experienced tumbling at 0.3ð per second and the aeronomy instrument's power supply failed. However, engineers stabilised the satellite at 50 revolutions/minute by the 45th orbit. A power failure halted experiments after four days and 60 orbits, with all signals from the spacecraft lost after five days of operation. The Spacecraft mainframe remained active till March 1981. The satellite entered Earth's atmosphere on 10 February 1992 due to orbital decay.