Rocket scientist V Narayanan is this year’s appointee as the Secretary of the Department of Space and Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He replaces S Somanath, whose time in that office ends on January 13, 2025.
The appointment of Narayanan as the chairman of the RBI came after the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the order Aligned with this approval, it was stated that Narayanan’s term in the position will start on 14th, January 2025, or until further notice. Narayanan, who is wannamed Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), has almost 40 years of experience with space propulsion technologies.
Mr. Narayanan commenced his career with the ISRO in 1984 and from then has worked on important developmental programs such as the rocket propulsion systems. He begun his career at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre as a junior scientist in the Solid Propulsion area of Sounding Rockets, Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV), and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
The admission to MBA was in 1985 for a short course in Management, passing out in 1987, Originally he graduated in Mechanical Engineering in 1989 after which he completed his M.Tech in Cryogenic Engineering with First Rank at IIT-Kharagpur the same year and join the LPSC’s Cryogenic Propulsion division. Most important, Narayanan was assigned the position of the Project Director responsible for the C25 Cryogenic Project of the GSLV Mk III that focused on the critical C25 stage of the rocket.
Narayanan’s predecessor, Somanath, began his term as Secretary of Space on January 14, 2022, and has a three-year term during which he has achieved monumental tasks in India’s space sector.
Narayanan’s vast experience and executive control especially in propulsion systems are believed to create the much-needed impetus in turning ISRO’s envisaged space missions into a reality, continuity and progression in the key organisation missions.
As the new head of ISRO, Narayanan will become the consummate figure of India’s tweaked space policy, improving the propulsion technologies and firmed up India’s place in the global space map.
