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Satellites Launched by India: Types, Uses & Milestones
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Pivotal Satellites of India
India's space journey features milestones in Earth observation, communication, astronomy, and deep-space exploration:
| Satellite Name | Launch Date | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Aryabhata | April 19, 1975 | India's first satellite; constructed by ISRO and launched by a Soviet rocket. |
| Bhaskara-I | June 7, 1979 | India's first experimental remote sensing satellite. |
| Rohini RS-1 | July 18, 1980 | First satellite to be successfully launched into orbit by India's indigenous launch vehicle, SLV-3. |
| APPLE | June 19, 1981 | India's first experimental geostationary communication satellite. |
| INSAT-1A | April 10, 1982 | First operational multipurpose communication and meteorological satellite (built by Ford Aerospace, operated by India). |
| IRS-1A | March 17, 1988 | First operational indigenous remote sensing satellite. |
| Kalpana-1 (METSAT) | September 12, 2002 | First exclusive meteorological satellite launched by ISRO (originally named METSAT, renamed in honor of astronaut Kalpana Chawla). |
| EDUSAT (GSAT-3) | September 20, 2004 | First exclusive educational satellite launched by ISRO. |
| StudSat | July 12, 2010 | India's first student-built pico-satellite. |
| RISAT-1 | April 26, 2012 | India's first indigenous all-weather Active Radar Imaging Satellite. |
| Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) | November 5, 2013 | Mangalyaan, India's first interplanetary mission, designed to explore Mars. |
| Astrosat | September 28, 2015 | India's first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory. |
| Cartosat-2D | February 15, 2017 | Deployed during the historic PSLV-C37 mission, which launched 104 satellites in a single flight. |