The story behind the launch of India’s first communication satellite APPLE

With the launch of the Chandrayaan-2 project, India creates history in the field of space research. However, while creating history, a look back at the history of India’s space research will illuminate many amazing factors. The first geostationary experimental communication Satellite Project taken up by India was Apple that dates back to 1981.

The story behind the launch of the first communication satellite APPLE from the Guiana Space Centre in France in itself is amazing and worth remembering as the satellite, before being launched, was carried loading onto a bullock-cart.

However, carrying the satellite on a bullock cart was not a weird matter to talk about or laugh at during those days as that was the time of the bullock carts, telephones and telex. People had to book international calls in advance and then wait for their turn to come. ISRO, at that time, even did not have mainframe computers. It is for the lack of the mainframe computers, the space research organization faced severe challenges in setting up the Ariane Passenger PayLoad Experiment (APPLE) Mission Control Centre at Sriharikota.

However, it was in this mission that India had gained the milestone of setting the foundation for the indigenous developments of the INSAT and GSAT series despite facing several setbacks.

In addition to these, the antenna of the satellite too had to be tested for facing problems in the Telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C) links. As these are crucial for maintaining communication with satellites in space, the testing of the antennas was mandatory so that the antennas remain functional before launch.

Former ISRO scientist RM Vasagam in one of his papers had recalled, “ISRO did not even have enough mainframe computers and the computing time needed for structural, thermal and mission analysis could be met only through our engineers availing the night hours at IISc, IIT Madras and TIFR."

Coming from such days in the past to achieving today's date of launching India's second moon mission, Indian space research has come a really long way and for that, the nation is ought to be congratulated.

Also read: Chandrayaan-2: The key women behind the success story of the project