The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently celebrated its 100th mission with a flawless launch of a PSLV from Sriharikota. No mean feat, as for ISRO it all began just 37 years ago when, in 1975, it launched India’s first experimental satellite – Aryabhata. In an exclusive conversation with B&E’s Kumar Buradikatti, Prof. U. R. Rao, Former Chairman of ISRO and the man behind Aryabhata, recalls how he led his team and heralded India into space age
B&E: How do you sum up India’s space journey since the launch of its first experimental satellite – Aryabhata – from the Soviet Union in 1975?
Udupi Ramachandra Rao (URR): It has been a very exciting journey so far. But, in 1972, when we began work on the first satellite, we had no infrastructure in place. Still I accepted Dr. Vikram Sarabhai’s proposal to st
B&E: How do you sum up India’s space journey since the launch of its first experimental satellite – Aryabhata – from the Soviet Union in 1975?
Udupi Ramachandra Rao (URR): It has been a very exciting journey so far. But, in 1972, when we began work on the first satellite, we had no infrastructure in place. Still I accepted Dr. Vikram Sarabhai’s proposal to st
B&E: How do you sum up India’s space journey since the launch of its first experimental satellite – Aryabhata – from the Soviet Union in 1975?
Udupi Ramachandra Rao (URR): It has been a very exciting journey so far. But, in 1972, when we began work on the first satellite, we had no infrastructure in place. Still I accepted Dr. Vikram Sarabhai’s proposal to start a satellite programme in India. The idea was to use satellites for all practical purposes – education, communication, broadcasting, et al. In fact, I promised him to deliver the first satellite within two and a half years of the start of the project. We delivered what we had promised, and since then there has been no looking back. When INSAT came, we hardly had eight television channels in India. Now we have more than hundred. It brought about a sea change in India’s communication scenario. Back then it was extremely difficult to get telephones. Today we have mobile telephones. This is what ‘Space’ has done for us. Now we are using satellites for everything, i.e. communication, broadcasting, meteorology etc.
B&E: So, what was it like ... motivating and leading a huge team of accomplished scientists to launch India’s first satellite into outer space?
URR: It was a wonderful experience. It took Dr. Vikram Sarabhai almost two years to convince me to join the mission as I was very busy with other projects. Once agreed, Dr. Sarabhai and I decided that we have to convince the country that satellites are really important for communication, for education, for meteorology and so on. We did it with the help of a Hasselblad camera. We flew over Kerala, Karnataka and Haryana in a helicopter and took some pictures. The first pictures that were taken were of some coconut trees in Kerala. On examining them we found that a wild disease had infected the trees. But the farmers would come to know about it only when they were to climb up a tree to procure coconut and by then it would be too late. These coloured pictures were shown to then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi by Vikram Sarabhai. She saw those pictures and asked, “When will the farmers come to know about the disease?” Sarabhai said, “May be after 6 or 8 months. By the time, it will be too late. Unless we detect the disease well in advance, we cannot cure it.” She was convinced that satellites were of great use, and we finally got started.
Udupi Ramachandra Rao (URR): It has been a very exciting journey so far. But, in 1972, when we began work on the first satellite, we had no infrastructure in place. Still I accepted Dr. Vikram Sarabhai’s proposal to start a satellite programme in India. The idea was to use satellites for all practical purposes – education, communication, broadcasting, et al. In fact, I promised him to deliver the first satellite within two and a half years of the start of the project. We delivered what we had promised, and since then there has been no looking back. When INSAT came, we hardly had eight television channels in India. Now we have more than hundred. It brought about a sea change in India’s communication scenario. Back then it was extremely difficult to get telephones. Today we have mobile telephones. This is what ‘Space’ has done for us. Now we are using satellites for everything, i.e. communication, broadcasting, meteorology etc.
B&E: So, what was it like ... motivating and leading a huge team of accomplished scientists to launch India’s first satellite into outer space?
URR: It was a wonderful experience. It took Dr. Vikram Sarabhai almost two years to convince me to join the mission as I was very busy with other projects. Once agreed, Dr. Sarabhai and I decided that we have to convince the country that satellites are really important for communication, for education, for meteorology and so on. We did it with the help of a Hasselblad camera. We flew over Kerala, Karnataka and Haryana in a helicopter and took some pictures. The first pictures that were taken were of some coconut trees in Kerala. On examining them we found that a wild disease had infected the trees. But the farmers would come to know about it only when they were to climb up a tree to procure coconut and by then it would be too late. These coloured pictures were shown to then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi by Vikram Sarabhai. She saw those pictures and asked, “When will the farmers come to know about the disease?” Sarabhai said, “May be after 6 or 8 months. By the time, it will be too late. Unless we detect the disease well in advance, we cannot cure it.” She was convinced that satellites were of great use, and we finally got started.
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