Unmanned Satellites on Postage Stamps 42. Aryabhata, Bhaskara, Rohini, and Badr Series Satellites by Don Hillger - SU 5200 and Garry Toth (Coauthor)

Home , Aryabhata (satellite), Badr (satellite)

This is the forty-second in a series of quasi-spherical polyhedron, about 1.6 articles about unmanned satellites on m in diameter. postage stamps. In this article we cover Since the body of the spacecraft scientific satellites from Southern Asia: is similar for both Aryabhata and the Aryabhata, Bhaskara, and Rohini Bhaskara, it is assumed that the satellites from India, and the Badr antennas can be used to distinguish satellite from Pakistan. between the two. For Aryabhata, the TheAryabhata satellite was India’s antennas appear to be attached to the first satellite, launched 19 April 1975. widest part of the spacecraft body. For It was completely designed and Bhaskara, the antennas appear to be manufactured in India but launched by attached to the angled part of the body. Russia. The spacecraft, named after the The first Rohini was the first Indian- famous Indian astronomer Aryabhata built satellite that was also launched (476-550), was a scientific satellite by them, on 18 July 1980. Three used to measure cosmic X-rays, solar Rohinis were launched through 1983. neutrons, gamma rays, ionospheric Although some sources identify electrons, and UV rays. With 26 sides, it as a spherical satellite, 0.6 m in the spacecraft was quasi-spherical. diameter, the lone postal item from It appears on several stamps or other India featuring Rohini shows it as a postal items from India and Russia. polyhedron, similar to Aryabhata and Dominica is the only other country Bhaskara, but with one flattened end. that has issued a stamp depicting Pakistan’s first satellite, Badr, was Aryabhata. launched by the People’s Republic of The first Bhaskara (also known as China on 16 July 1990. Badr-1 was the Satellite for Earth Observation - an experimental communications SEO) was India’s second satellite. Two satellite. Also a 26-sided polyhedron, Bhaskaras were launched by Russia about 0.5 m in diameter, it looked in 1979 and 1981. Bhaskara was similar to the Indian satellites named after two Indian astronomer- mentioned above. Only two postal mathematicians. The spacecraft items from Pakistan feature Badr-1. were intended for Earth observations Badr-2, an experimental microsatellite related to hydrology, forestry, and with communications and remote geology, as well as for microwave sensing capabilities, was launched in studies of the ocean surface. Another 2001, this time by Russia. No postal objective was to collect meteorological items are known to depict the Badr-2 data from remote platforms. Like satellite. Aryabhata, Bhaskara was a 26-sided

22 Space Unit • Vol. 58, No. 2, #320 A checklist of postal items showing these Indian and Pakistani satellites (http:// rammb.cira.colostate.edu/dev/hillger/Aryabhata.htm) is available on the Website developed by the authors for the un-manned satellites featured in this series of articles (http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/dev/hillger/satellites.htm). E-mail correspondence is welcome. Don Hillger can be reached at don.hillger@ colostate.edu and Garry Toth at [email protected].

Dominica 2237f (Mi2907) 2000 DominicaDominica 2237f 2237f (Mi2907) (Mi2907) 2000 2000

Dominica 2237f (Mi2907) 2000

Russia (USSR) 4490 Russia (USSR)(Mi4531) 4490 1975 (Mi4531) 1975

India 655 (Mi624) 1975

India 655 (Mi624) 1975 India 655 655 (Mi624) (Mi624) 1975 1975

India P79 2 rupee (banknote) 1983

India P79 Russia (USSR) 5242

India P79 2 2rupee rupee (banknote) (banknote) 1983 19831 Russia (USSR)(Mi5372) 5242 1984 (Mi5372) 1984

IndiaAstrophile P79 •2 Journalrupee for (banknote) Space Covers 1983and Stamps 23 1 2 1

Russia (USSR) 5243 (Mi5373) 1984

St. Thomas and Prince Island 1963b

St. Thomas(Mi3909) and Prince 2008 Island 1963b (Mi3909) 2008 India 927 (Mi874) 1981

RussiaRussia (USSR) (USSR) 5243 5243(Mi5373) (Mi5373) 1984 1984

PakistanPakistan 734 (Mi778) 734 1990 (Mi778) 1990

4 St. Thomas and Prince Island 1963b (Mi3909) 2008

Pakistan Pakistan772 (Mi848) 772 1992 (Mi848) 1992 Pakistan 772 (Mi848) 1992

Russia (USSR) 1975-04-19 Kapustin Russia (USSR) 1975-04-19 Kapustin Yar (Two-color printed) cachet on India 927 (Mi874) 1981 coverYar Aryabhata (Two-color launch printed) cachet on cover Aryabhata launch India 927 (Mi874) 1981

24 RussiaSpace (USSR) Unit 1975 -•04 Vol.-19 Kapustin 58, N Yaro. 2,(Two #320-color printed) cachet on cover Aryabhata launch

Pakistan 734 (Mi778) 1990

India 1976-04-20 Sri Hari Kota Launch Range (Single-color printed) cachet on cover (1st anniv.) Aryabhata launch

India In1976dia-04- 201976-04-20 Sri Hari Kota SLaunchri Hari Range Ko (Singleta- colorLau printed)nch cachet RussiaRussia (USSR) 1979 (USSR)-06-07 Moscow 1979-06-07 Cancel and (printed) Mo cachetscow on stamped envelope Bhaskara-1 launch on cover (1stR aanniv.)nge Aryabhata (Single-colo launch r printed) Cancel and (printed)

cachet on cover (1st anniv.) cachet on stamp6 ed envelope Aryabhata launch Bhaskara-1 launch

Russia (USSR) 1979-06-07 Moscow Cancel and (printed) cachet on stamped envelope Bhaskara-1 launch

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Astrophile • Journal for Space Covers and Stamps 25