Read on Twitter
#TodayInHistory India's first ever satellite Aryabhatta is launched in 1975. Assembled at Peenya near Bangalore, it was launched from Kapustin Yar in Russia, using a Kosmos 3M launch vehicle. It was based on an agreement between ISRO and Soviet Union in 1972. 
The person behind launch of Aryabhatta was U.R. Rao who succeeded Satish Dhawan as ISRO chairman. Hailing from Udupi, Rao did his MSc from BHU, and his PhD under Dr. Vikram Sarabhai at PRL, Ahmedabad. He later taught at MIT and University of Texas, Dallas.
It was UR Rao who did the design for Aryabhatta, as well as Bhaskara, Rohini, APPLE, and the entire INSAT-1,2 as well as the IRS-1A, 1B remote sensing satellites. In a sense he was India's own Satellite Man, and first Indian to be inducted into Satellite Hall of Fame, 2013.
The INSAT series of satellites designed and launched by U.R.Rao would be a major factor in taking India to the communications age. He was also the one behind launch of ASLV, PSLV.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
