In 1963, when the first sounding rocket was launched from Thumba, its components were transported to the launch site on a bicycle. Similarly, in 1981, during the testing of India’s first experimental communication satellite ‘APPLE’, the satellite was placed on a bullock cart to create a nonmagnetic environment for antenna pattern tests in an open field. These anecdotes, rooted in historical fact, are not mere curiosities… The success of a rocket or a satellite mission is not the sole outcome of high-level design and propulsion engineering. It is equally the result of a seamless chain of support, from the transportation of materials to the maintenance of facilities and the myriad ancillary tasks that ensure operational efficiency. The last man standing in this chain, often belonging to Group-C or Group-D services, performs duties that may appear sporadic or peripheral in isolation. However, without their dedicated support, the very materials and logistics essential for scientific advancement would falter in reaching the laboratories and assembly halls of our scientists.

– Hon’ble Justice Vikram Nath, R. Iyyappan v. Union of India, [Special Leave Petition (Civil) No. 7138 of 2025].