19/04/2025
๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ง ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ!
๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ญ 1:28:55๐ฉ๐ฆ (๐๐๐)
This was the day fifty years ago (also a Saturday) when the Indian Space Research achieved a tremendous breakthrough, when the Nationโs first satellite ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐๐๐ก๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ was launched from Kapustin Yar, (a rocket launch complex in Astrakhan Oblast, about 100 km east of Volgograd in Russia) with the help of Soviets. India joined a club of ten nations viz. U.S., Soviet Union, West Germany, China, France, U.K., Australia, Canada, Japan, and Italy.
Tributes to Great scientists especially Vikram Sarabhai (who unfortunately passed away in 1971 before realizing the dream), Prof MGK Menon, U R Rao, the core team comprising of SP Kosta, K Kasturirangan, R Ashiya, and Tarse, all the scientists, engineers and team members.
Late Prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhi had encouraged and supported the mission from inception all the way through launch. When offered three choices for naming the satellite, she had chosen Aryabhatta (named after famous ancient Indian mathematician of 5th Century CE) [the other two being Jawahar โ Independence and Maitri โ Friendship]
Aryabhata was designed as a 26-sided polyhedron that was 1.4 metres in diameter and weighed 360 kg. Aryabhata went around the Earth every 96.3 minutes having an apogee of 619 km and a perigee of 563 km.
The launch of the indigenously built Aryabhatta in 1975 has been followed with many successful Space achievements which include Polar Launch Satellite Vehicle - PSLV (a trusted satellite launch vehicle for India and other countries at significantly lower costs), Chandrayaan Missions in 2008 and 2023 (when India became the first nation to land the south pole of the moon), Mangalyaan Mission in 2014 (first worldwide to reach Mars orbit in the first attempt), NAVIC โ a regional system providing accurate positioning helping in disaster management as well as bolstering National Security)
Yashmia applauds whole heartedly all these achievements of ISRO - Indian Space Research Organisation and is focused towards Nation Building in a multi-pronged way having Science and Technology as essentials.
Note : We are sure you would have figured out the time of the Post!
Sashikala Ravichandran
Satyanarayanan Visvanathan