TOI take:
Published on: Nov 21, 2025
On June 19, 1981, Isro launched its first communication satellite, Apple, aboard Ariane-1 from Kourou in French Guiana. This satellite, iconically, was transported on a bullock cart—a reflection of Isro's humble beginnings—just six years after Aryabhatta, when both the agency and the nation’s infrastructure were still developing.