Decades ago, Isro scientists placed the Indian space agency’s first communication satellite on a bullock cart. It was steered into an open field, as an improvised solution to a problem the agency had no facility to solve at the time. A bullock cart was used during the testing of APPLE’s antenna prior to the launch. (Isro) The satellite’s antenna had run into trouble. Issues were detected in its Telemetry, Tracking and Control (TT&C) links, crucial for maintaining communication. But testing called for a proper antenna range, with the satellite structure placed under a thermal blanket, a kind of facility Isro did not have then. So, the scientists came up with an indigenous fix — they put the satellite on a bullock cart to ensure a non-magnetic environment and ran the test in the open. That satellite was APPLE. Forty-five years ago, on June 18, 1981, India’s space effort cleared a milestone after the experimental satellite was placed in orbit, taking the country to the doorstep of a domestic satellite communication system. The Ariane Passenger Payload …