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The Ariane Passenger PayLoad Experiment (APPLE), was an experimental communication satellite with a C-Band transponder launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation on June 19, 1981, by Ariane, a launch vehicle of the European Space Agency (ESA) from Centre Spatial Guyanais near Kourou in French Guiana.
APPLE was India's first three-axis stabilised experimental Geostationary communication satellite. On July 16, 1981, the satellite was positioned at 102° E longitude. The 672 kg[1] satellite served as testbed of the Indian telecommunications space relay infrastructure despite the failure of one solar panel to deploy. Solid-propellant based Apogee Boost Motor to circularize APPLE's orbit was derived from SLV-3 fourth stage.[2]
It was used in several communication experiments including relay of TV programmes and radio networking. It was a cylindrical spacecraft measuring 1.2 m in diameter and 1.2 m high. Its payload consisted of two 6/4 GHz transponders connected to a 0.9 m diameter parabolic antenna. It went out of service on September 19, 1983. R. M. Vasagam was the project director of APPLE during 1977-1983[3][4]
| Mission | Experimental geostationary communication[5] |
| Weight | 670 kg[5] |
| Onboard Power | 210 watts[5] |
| Payload | C-band transponders (Two)[5] |
| Launch Date | June 19, 1981[5] |
| Launch Vehicle | Ariane -1(V-3)[5] |
| Orbit | Geosynchronous[5] |
| Mission life | Two years[5] |
See also
References
- ↑ ISRO success stories. THE HINDU(28 April 2001). Retrieved 2013-03-17....This important opportunity was utilised to build indigenously a 672-kg state-of-the-art three-axis-stabilised (as against the spin-stabilised Aryabhata) geosynchronous communication satellite called APPLE – Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment – which was launched in June 1981.
- ↑ Trusty engine on Mars Orbiter to be tested yet again. The Hindu(2014-09-10). Retrieved 2021-04-24.
- ↑ Biodata RM Vasagam. BIT Mesra. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ↑ From fishing hamlet to red planet{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Harper Collins(2015). ISBN 9789351776895
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Welcome To ISRO :: Satellites :: Geo-Stationary Satellite :: APPLE. Isro.org(1981-06-19). Retrieved 2013-03-17.
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