2023-08-10 Thu

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued this Rs 2 note featuring Satellite Aryabhatta in signed M. Narsimhan in 1977. The RBI issued this note in 1976 and was withdrawn from circulation in 1966.

Aryabhata was the first Indian satellite, named after the world famous ancient Indian astronomer. It was launched on 19 April 1975 from Kapustin Yar, a Russian rocket launch and development site in Astrakhan Oblast using a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle by ISRO.

The obverse features a language panel with Hindu text, a peacock, an ornate wheel, the lion capital of Ashoka pillar, and the RBI seal with a tiger and palm tree. The reverse features an image of the Aryabhata satellite orbiting the Earth.

Image Courtesy: Mintage World