| Satellites: : Aryabhata | APPLE | INSAT-1
| INSAT-2
| INSAT-3
| Bhaskara
| IRS | Rohini Launcher
: : SLV
| PSLV | ASLV | GSLV
APPLE
India's first experimental GEO communications
satellite, APPLE (Ariane Passenger Payload
Experiment), was launched on the third test
flight of the Ariane launch vehicle in June,
1981. For 27 months (until attitude control fuel
depletion) the 350-kg Apple successfully served
as a testbed for the entire Indian
telecommunications space relay infrastructure
despite the failure of one solar panel to deploy.
APPLE was used in several communication
experiments including relay of TV programmes, and
radio networking. It provided valuable experience
to Indian space scientists in building and
operating geostationary communication satellites.
The spacecraft bus was cylindrical with a
diameter of 1.2 m and a height of 1.2 m. The
communications payload consisted of two 6/4 GHz
transponders connected to a 0.9 m diameter
parabolic antenna. It was de-activated on
September 1983.
Sources and
Resources
- Other source : www.bharatrakshak.com
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