Sriharikota: 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.
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.
India’s Docking Mission Postponed
ISRO has postponed its first-ever attempt at space docking mission to January 9, 2025, citing the need for additional validation. The mission, known as the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), involves the automated docking of two satellites in low Earth orbit. Originally scheduled for January 07, 2024, ISRO said that the delay was attributed to an identified abort scenario during ground simulations. This test is crucial for ISRO’s future ambitions in space exploration and will demonstrate India’s capability in automated spacecraft docking technology.
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