Bengaluru, Jan 15: Dr. V. Narayanan, a distinguished scientist from Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district, assumed office yesterday as the new Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).Dr. Narayanan succeeds S. Somanath, whose tenure ended on January 13. The Central Government recently appointed Dr. Narayanan to lead ISRO, India’s premier space agency.
On the auspicious day of Pongal, Dr. Narayanan officially took charge of his new role, receiving warm wishes from outgoing Chairman S. Somanath.
Dr. Narayanan, hailing from Kanyakumari, previously served as the Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. A graduate of IIT Kharagpur, he began his career at ISRO in 1984. With nearly four decades of experience in the Indian space sector, Dr. Narayanan has specialized in rocket and spacecraft liquid propulsion systems.
In the early stages of his career, he worked at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), focusing on solid propulsion systems for sounding rockets and advanced satellite launch vehicles, including the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).
Significant Contributions
Dr. Narayanan has played a pivotal role in several landmark ISRO projects, including:
Aditya-L1 Mission: India’s solar observation satellite mission.
Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3: Lunar exploration missions.
Cryogenic Engine Development: Development of the CE-20 engine for the GSLV Mk-III rocket.
PSLV-C57 Launch: A successful satellite deployment mission.
His extensive expertise and contributions to India’s space exploration endeavors have been instrumental in advancing the country’s position in global space research and technology.
Dr. V. Narayanan’s appointment marks a new chapter for ISRO, with the agency poised to achieve greater milestones under his leadership.