ISRO’s New Chief to be Space Scientist V. Narayanan, Succeeding Somnath on January 14

New Delhi: The Government of India has appointed V. Narayanan as the new chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He will take over the position from S. Somanath on January 14. Narayanan’s tenure as chairman will be for a period of two years starting from that date, as per an official notification.

Currently, Dr. V. Narayanan serves as the Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC). With a career spanning nearly four decades at ISRO, he has held several key positions. His expertise lies in rocket and spacecraft propulsion. He also served as the Project Director of the C25 cryogenic project for the GSLV Mk III vehicle.

Narayanan joined ISRO in 1984 and worked in various roles before becoming the Director of the Centre. During his early years, he spent approximately four and a half years at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), contributing to the solid propulsion domain of sounding rockets, ASLV, and the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

In 1989, Narayanan completed his M.Tech in Cryogenic Engineering from IIT Kharagpur, securing the top rank. He then joined the cryogenic propulsion division at LPSC. As Director of LPSC, Valiamala, he played a pivotal role in developing the CE20 cryogenic engine for the GSLV Mk III. Under his leadership, LPSC developed 183 liquid propulsion systems and control power plants for ISRO’s various missions.

Dr. Narayanan has received numerous awards and accolades, including the Silver Medal from IIT Kharagpur and the Gold Medal from the Astronautical Society of India (ASI). He has also been honored with the National Design Award from NDRF.