V Narayana to succeed ISRO head S Somnath

The union government has appointed V Narayanan as the new chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and secretary of the Department of Space.

He will succeed S Somanath, the current head of the organization, taking over the position on Jan 14.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet announced in a notification on Jan 7 that Narayanan, the head of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Valiamala, will serve a two-year term.

Narayanan will also serve as the chairman of the Space Commission and was crucial in helping India build the cryogenic engine, a technology that had previously been out of reach.

"We have a clear roadmap for India, and I hope to take ISRO to greater heights as we have great talent,” said the newly appointed ISRO chief.

Narayanan holds the position of seniormost director at ISRO and is recognized as a prominent scientist on the APEX Scale.

Under his leadership, the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre develops chemical and electric propulsion systems for satellites, launch vehicle control systems, transducers for space systems health monitoring, and liquid, semi-cryogenic, and cryogenic propulsion stages for launch vehicles.

In addition, he is the chairman of the National Level Human Rated Certification Board (HRCB) for Gaganyaan, India's planned human spaceflight mission.

He is also the Chairman of the Project Management Council-Space Transportation System (PMC-STS), which makes decisions for all launch vehicle projects and programs.

Narayanan earned his M Tech in Cryogenic Engineering and PhD in Aerospace Engineering from IIT Kharagpur, where he was awarded a Silver Medal for securing the top rank in the M Tech program.

After working with ISRO since 1984, the rocket and spacecraft propulsion specialist became the director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in 2018.

India became the first nation in history to land a rover near the Moon's south pole region under S Somanath, who took leadership of ISRO in January 2022.

India became part of an elite group of countries to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, joining the US, the former Soviet Union, and China.