APPLE

This article is about the satellite APPLE. For the fruit apple, see Apple. For other uses see Apple (disambiguation).

APPLE (Ariane Passenger PayLoad Experiment), was an experimental communication satellite with a C-Band Transponder launched by Indian Space Research Organisation satellite on June 19, 1981 by Ariane, a launch vehicle of the European Space Agency (ESA) from Centre Spatial Guyanais near Kourou in French Guiana. It was India's first three-axis stabilised experimental Geostationary communication satellite. On July 16, 1981, the satellite was positioned at 102° E longitude. The 350-kg satellite served as testbed of the Indian telecommunications space relay infrastructure despite the failure of one solar panel to deploy. It was used in several communication experiments including relay of TV programmes and radio networking. It was a cylindrical spacecraft measuring 1.2 meters in diameter and 1.2 meter high. Its payload consisted of two 6/4 GHz transponders connected to a 0.9 meter diameter parabolic antenna. It went out of service on September 19, 1983.