Rocket scientist V Narayanan will take over the mantle from current Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief S Somanath on January 14. His elevation was announced by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
Here some some key points about his academic and ISRO journey:
- Mr Narayanan completed his M Tech in Cryogenic Engineering and PhD in Aerospace Engineering from IIT, Kharagpur, where he was awarded a Silver Medal for achieving the first rank in the M Tech programme.
- The rocket and spacecraft propulsion expert joined ISRO in 1984 and rose through the ranks.
- He had earlier worked in the Solid Propulsion area of Sounding Rockets and Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
- Mr Narayanan played a key role in India’s development of the cryogenic engine, a technology that was denied to the country.
- He further contributed to the process planning, process control and realisation of Ablative nozzle systems, composite motor cases and composite Igniter cases.
- Among his recent successes was when he headed the Failure Analysis Commitee for Chandrayaan 2, the mission in which the Vikram Lander crash landed. After he found a solution, Chandrayaan 3 became a glorious success when India Vikram safely landed at Shiv Shakti Point.
- Mr Narayanan is the head of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) in Kerala’s Valiamala since 2018. The centre is engaged in the development of liquid, semi cryogenic and cryogenic propulsion stages for launch vehicles, chemical and electric propulsion systems for satellites, control systems for launch vehicles, and transducers development for space systems health monitoring.
