On January 07 2025, the Government of India (GoI) appointed V Narayanan as the 11th chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) and Secretary of the Department of Space(DoS). His tenure starts on January 14, 2025, for a period of 2 years by replacing incumbent Sreedhara Panicker Somanath.
- The appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) and was notified by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (MoPP&P).
- Currently V Narayanan serves as the Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Valiamala, Kerala.
- He will also be the Chairman of the Space Commission, playing a key role in India’s development of the cryogenic engine.
About V Narayanan:
i.V Narayanan completed his graduation in Cryogenic Engineering in 1989 at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur , West Bengal (WB) and earned a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Aerospace Engineering in 2001.
- He was a distinguished scientist (APEX Scale) who gained 40 years of experience in rocket and spacecraft propulsion.
ii.He worked forTube Investments (TI) of India Diamond Chain Limited (Tamil Nadu TN), Madras Rubber Factory (Chennai, TN), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) in Trichy (TN) and Ranipet (TN).
iii.In 1984, he started his career at ISRO 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), Thiruvananthapuram(Kerala).
iv.In 2018, he served as the Director of LPSC in Thiruvananthapuram, with a unit in Bengaluru (Karnataka).
v.He served as the Project Director for the C25 Cryogenic Project of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk II and III.
- Under his guidance, the LPSC delivered 183 Liquid Propulsion Systems and Control Power plants for various ISRO missions.
vi.He chairs the Programme Management Council Space Transportation Systems (PMC-STS), which makes decisions in all launch vehicle projects.
vii.He also heads the National Level Human Rated Certification Board (HRCB) for ‘Gaganyaan’, India’s planned human spaceflight mission.
Awards and Honors:
i.He received the ‘ASI Award’ for Rocket and Related Technologies and a Gold Medal from the Astronautical Society of India (ASI).
ii.He also received the National Aeronautical Prize by the Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI).
ii.He has won several ISRO awards, including the Outstanding Achievement Award, Team Excellence Award, the High Energy Materials Society of India’s Team Award for his contributions in aerospace.
About Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO):
ISRO is one of the six largest space agencies in the world.
Chairman- Sreedhara Panicker Somanath(Till January 14, 2025)
Headquarters- Bengaluru, Karnataka
Establishment– 1969
