50 Years of SITE: Pioneering Space Technology for Societal Benefit
Explore how the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) transformed rural India through educational and developmental TV programmes, marking a significant milestone in the application of space technology.
Space TechnologyRural DevelopmentIsroSiteEducationReal Estate NewsJul 24, 2025
It was on August 1, 1975, that the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) began, with its first broadcast. A collaborative India-US effort, SITE took educational and development TV programmes to specially installed community TV receivers in about 2,400 villages in six states. Programmes, beamed up to NASA's ATS-6 satellite from Earth stations in Ahmedabad and Delhi, were received in these villages through a 10-ft diameter antenna and an electronic converter, a precursor to DTH (direct-to-home).
The six states were selected to reflect India's diversity. Within them, the most backward districts were chosen. The villages were often remote and included, in Orissa, unelectrified villages where TV sets were operated on batteries. TV sets, for community viewing, were installed in schools or panchayat ghars where all, irrespective of caste and class, had free access.
A young team, led by a few stalwarts like SITE programme manager E V Chitnis—who turns 100 today—worked with passion and deep commitment. Engineers ensured that TV sets in remote villages were maintained so well that their downtime was lower than those in urban homes. Social scientists visited these villages—some lived there for 15 months—to research the impact. Programme-makers, almost all fresh graduates from the Film and Television Institute (FTII), Pune, were recruited by ISRO to make the science education programmes, while Doordarshan set up special studios to make programmes specifically for each state.
Local language, area-specific broadcasts took the latest agricultural practices to farmers in SITE villages. Education programmes for primary school children aimed at the 'enrichment' of classroom teaching. A special teacher training programme, in person and supported by TV broadcasts, conducted in partnership with NCERT and the education ministry, covered 45,000 teachers in two sessions. Apart from state-specific broadcasts, a common 'national programme' for 30 minutes each day was beamed to all six states.
Concerned about the centralising potential of satellite broadcasting, SITE also included a decentralised set-up: India's first district-level rural TV station in Kheda district (the home of Amul), Gujarat. This served as the model for the expansion of TV through low-power transmitters (LPTs). The Kheda Communications Project was an experiment in participatory communication and won wide acclaim, including UNESCO's first Rural Communication Prize.
Hailed by Arthur Clarke as 'the greatest communication experiment in history', SITE drew worldwide recognition. As the first-ever large-scale use of direct broadcasting from a satellite, SITE took TV into the depths of rural India, reaching disadvantaged people even before TV reached most urban areas. While it lacked the heart-stopping drama of a rocket launch, or the heart-in-mouth climax of the last tragic moments of Chandrayaan-2, it had many heart-warming moments.
The awe, novelty, and magic of seeing a moving picture come out of a box—most people in SITE villages had never been to a cinema—the excitement and spark in the eyes of children watching educational programmes: these moments will stay forever with those involved in SITE. Probably in the one year of SITE, we learned more than the villagers.
SITE embodied Vikram Sarabhai's vision for ISRO, which was based on two primary strands: knowledge creation and its use for practical benefit. The former, encompassing space science, began with cosmic ray research, using balloons and sounding rockets, and progressed to the Mars mission, the successful Chandrayaan landing, and the solar observatory, Aditya. Both strands were based on the philosophy of self-reliance where possible, and cooperation or collaboration where necessary. SITE exemplified this. All the ground hardware was designed, developed, and made in India; the satellite and its launch were by the US. Today, India has moved many notches up with the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission scheduled for launch on July 30.
Applications paced and dictated technology development, the latter not being a goal in itself. To be the 'first' or 'fifth' country to do something was never an objective, and vanity projects were shunned. The articulation of this— which one hopes continues to be ISRO's north star—is best expressed in Sarabhai's words: '...there is no ambiguity of purpose. We do not have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations in the exploration of the moon or the planets or manned space-flight. But... if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society.' An apt reminder on SITE@50.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE)?
SITE was a pioneering project that began in 1975, using satellite technology to broadcast educational and developmental TV programmes to about 2,400 villages in six Indian states. It aimed to reach remote and underdeveloped areas, providing access to educational content and modern agricultural practices.
How did SITE impact rural areas in India?
SITE had a significant impact by bringing educational and developmental programmes to remote villages. It helped in spreading modern agricultural practices, improving primary education, and training teachers. The project also included a participatory communication model through the Kheda Communications Project in Gujarat.
What was the role of ISRO in SITE?
ISRO played a crucial role in SITE by recruiting programme-makers from the Film and Television Institute (FTII), Pune, and setting up special studios to produce state-specific broadcasts. ISRO also ensured the maintenance of TV sets in remote villages and collaborated with NASA for the satellite and its launch.
What was Vikram Sarabhai's vision for ISRO?
Vikram Sarabhai's vision for ISRO was based on two primary strands: knowledge creation and its practical application. He emphasized the importance of using advanced technologies to solve real problems of man and society, rather than competing with economically advanced nations in space exploration.
What is the significance of SITE's 50th anniversary?
The 50th anniversary of SITE is significant as it marks a global milestone in the application of space technology for societal benefit. It highlights the impact of such projects on rural development and education, and serves as a reminder of ISRO's commitment to practical applications of technology.
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