Eminent rocket scientist and aerospace engineer Shri S. Somanath has been appointed as the new director of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and secretary, Department of Space, Government of India. He will assume the post from Shri K. Sivan who completes his term, which included a year of extension, on January 14.
Shri Somanath completed his undergraduation in Mechanical engineering from TKM College of Engineering, Kerala University in Kollam, Kerala. He then completed his postgraduation in Aerospace Engineering with specialisation in Structures, Dynamics and control with a Gold Medal from the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Bangalore.
Shri Somanath joined the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in 1985. He was appointed as the project manager of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), India’s third generation launch vehicle where he steered the fields of pyro-systems, integration and satellite launch service management, the description further says.
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He then joined Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) MkIII project in 2003 and assumed the position of deputy director handling the overall design of the vehicle, mission and structural design as well as integration. He was later promoted to the position of project director from June 2010 to 2014. He also has been the Deputy Director of “Structures” entity at the VSSC as well as the Deputy Director of “Propulsion and Space Ordnance Entity” at the VSSC till November, 2014.
He has been lauded by observers and commentators of the Indian aeronautical ecosystem for his contribution to the development of high-thrust Semi-Cryogenic engines. He oversaw the development of throttleable engines for the lander craft of Chandrayaan-2. He took over as the Director of VSSC in January, 2018.
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Speaking to the Times of India on the current status of Indian space industry, he said that the premiere objective of ISRO is to assist the development of Indian space ecosystem which involves a synergy between public and private sector. He added that the space ecosystem requires the expansion of the space industry to include start-ups, IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) and telecom industry in coordination with the Department of Space. He targets the Indian space industry to expand to ₹ 60000 crore from the current ₹16000 crore economy. Shri Somanath will oversee the successful implementation of Chandrayaan-3 and much-awaited Gaganyaan-1, India’s first human spaceflight mission in Lower Earth Orbit (LEO). ISRO recently successfully tested the cryogenic engine for Gaganyaan-1.
