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U. R. Rao

उडुपी रामचन्द्र राव
1932 – 2017
SpacePhysics

Built Aryabhata, India's first satellite

Story

Prof. U. R. Rao led the team that built Aryabhata, India's first satellite, launched in 1975. As Chairman of ISRO (1984–1994) he guided the development of communication and remote-sensing satellites and the PSLV rocket.

Key contributions

  • Led the building of Aryabhata (1975) and later satellites such as Bhaskara and APPLE
  • Chairman of ISRO, 1984–1994
  • First Indian in the Satellite Hall of Fame (2013); Padma Vibhushan (2017)

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