The Centre has named V Narayanan as the new Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Secretary, Department of Space. Narayanan, who currently heads the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Valiamala, will assume the position on January 14, succeeding the incumbent ISRO chief S Somanath.

In a notification issued Tuesday, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet announced Narayanan’s two-year tenure. As the Chairman of the Space Commission, Narayanan is credited with spearheading India’s development of the cryogenic engine—a critical technology that was initially denied to the country.

Speaking to the media, Narayanan expressed optimism about his new role, stating, “We have a clear roadmap for India, and I hope to take ISRO to greater heights as we have great talent.”

Narayanan is a distinguished scientist at the apex scale and the seniormost director in ISRO. Under his leadership, the LPSC has been instrumental in the development of liquid, semi-cryogenic, and cryogenic propulsion stages for launch vehicles, along with chemical and electric propulsion systems for satellites. The centre also focuses on control systems for launch vehicles and transducer development for monitoring the health of space systems.

In addition to his responsibilities at LPSC, Narayanan serves as the Chairman of the Project Management Council-Space Transportation System (PMC-STS), overseeing decision-making in all launch vehicle projects and programs. He also chairs the National Level Human Rated Certification Board (HRCB) for Gaganyaan, India’s ambitious human spaceflight mission.

Narayanan’s academic achievements include an M Tech in Cryogenic Engineering and a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from IIT Kharagpur, where he was awarded a Silver Medal for ranking first in his M Tech program. Hailing from Tamil-medium schools, he joined ISRO in 1984 and steadily advanced to become the director of LPSC in 2018.

Under the leadership of his predecessor S Somanath, ISRO achieved historic milestones, including becoming the first nation to land a rover at the Moon’s south pole and joining an elite group of countries capable of soft lunar landings.

Be a part of Elets Collaborative Initiatives. Join Us for Upcoming Events and explore business opportunities. Like us on Facebook , connect with us on LinkedIn and follow us on Twitter, Instagram.

"Exciting news! Elets technomedia is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest insights!" Click here!