Dr. S Somanath is the current Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He is a distinguished aerospace scientist and engineer with over four decades of experience in the Indian space program. He has played a key role in the development and launch of several of India’s most important space missions. Let’s delve into the extraordinary life of this visionary leader committed to making India a significant player in the global space arena.
Early Life
Somanath was born in 1963 in Thrissur, Kerala, India. In 1985, he received his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from the College of Engineering in Trivandrum. During his time at the Thangal Kunju Musaliar College of Engineering, Kerela. During his time at TKM Engineering College, he lived in a small lodge room in Kollam district due to budgetary constraints. He rode an old bicycle to college because he couldn’t afford the bus cost and had to forego the study tour. According to his latest Somnath, There was no one to help him in the early years of his studies. If someone had not unexpectedly purchased him an admission form from the engineering college, he would have enrolled in BSc or another course. In 1987 and 1991, he earned his Master of Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
Somnath’s Aerospace Career
Somanath joined ISRO as a Scientist/Engineer SC after finishing his Master’s degree. He began his career at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, where he worked on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The PSLV is a light-lift launch vehicle that has been used to place a variety of satellites into orbit, notably the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites and the Cartosat series. Somanath made major contributions to the PSLV’s development, and he was finally chosen as the PSLV Project’s Deputy Director. In this capacity, he was in charge of the general management and integration of the PSLV project. He was also instrumental in successfully launching the IRS-P6 satellite by the PSLV-C3 mission in 2001. Somanath was named Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) in Bangalore, Karnataka, in 2003. The LPSC is responsible for developing liquid propulsion systems for ISRO rockets and satellites. The LPSC, led by Somanath, created the cryogenic upper stage for the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk III. The GSLV Mk III is a heavy-lift launch vehicle for placing communication satellites in geostationary orbit.
Becoming the Chairman of ISRO
S Somanath took over as ISRO Chairman on January 14, 2022, becoming the 10th person to hold this distinguished position and the first from Kerala. He is responsible for the overall management and direction of the Indian space program as Chairman of ISRO. Under Somanath’s leadership, ISRO achieved the infamous Chandrayaan-3 mission, which made history by becoming the first country to land on the moon’s south pole. Somnath has set ambitious goals for ISRO, including achieving human spaceflight by 2024 and launching a mission to Mars by 2030. He is also working to make ISRO more self-reliant and to reduce its dependence on imports.
Somanath is a well-known figure in the global space community. He has received several important honors for his contributions to the space profession, including India’s third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan. He is also a member of the Indian National Academy of Engineering and the Indian Aeronautical Society.
