On the 12th of January, Wednesday, eminent rocket scientist Mr. S. Somanath has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Space Secretary.
The appointment of Dr. Somanath came at a time when the ISRO is set to carry out important missions for the Indian space agency. One of the major mission awaited is the Gaganyaan human space flight mission. In addition, due to the Wuhan virus (COVID-19) pandemic, many hurdles and postponements have been faced by the ISRO.
Dr. S. Somnath said, “We have to hold their hand and support them to come up. The idea is that the space ecosystem should become more vibrant, economically viable and self-sustaining. IN-SPACe is defining a new model, which is also designed to expand our space economy. The Rs. 16,000-crore space economy that we have in India today should grow to a Rs. 60,000-crore space economy.”
Prior to becoming the ISRO Chairman, Dr. Somnath was serving as the Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST.) Highlighting early life of Dr. S. Somnath joined the VSSC in the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) project in 1985, after obtaining his B. Tech in Mechanical Engineering from the TKM College of Engineering, Kollam. He later pursued a Masters in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore with specialisation in Structures, Dynamics and Control.
Besides, after being in ISRO, Dr. S. Somanath has played a major role in the development of the PSLV and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk-III (GSLV Mk-III.) He even joined the GSLV Mk-III project in 2003, and served as Project Director for the same in between 2010 to 2014.
Notably, Mr. S. Somnath replaced Mr. Kailasavadivoo Sivan, the outgoing Chairman of the ISRO, who would complete his extended tenure, on the 14th of January.
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