In 1985, when the Space Agency was looking for young engineers to work on the nascent Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle programme, Somanath joined ISRO and he became the chairman in 2022.
Phase one of Chandrayaan-3's mission, the successful injection of a 100 km circular polar orbit, was carried out on July 14, 2023, at 2:35 IST. On August 23, 2023, the lander and rover are anticipated to touch down close to the lunar south pole. And to make this a successful mission, the contributions of many ISRO scientists and engineers were put in effort.
ISRO Chairman, S. Somanath, is considered one of the brains behind India’s mission to the moon. He has also been credited for other missions such as for accelerating include Aditya-L1 (a mission to the sun) and Gaganyaan (a crewed mission). Here’s everything you need to know about him.
Sreedhara Panicker Somanath (born July 1963) is an Indian aerospace engineer. In Thuravoor, Kerala, Somanath was born into a Malayali family as the son of Hindi teacher Sreedhara Panicker and Thankamma.
Dr. S. Somanath, who hails from the Keralan town of Alappuzha (Alleppey), had a passion for science from the time he attended Malayalam-medium school. Even though he taught Hindi, Somanath's father supported the young boy's interest in and talent for science by giving him science literature in both Malayalam and English. Somanath decided to pursue a BTech in Mechanical Engineering despite the fact that it was not an easy choice, and it was during this time that he furthered his interest in space science and research.
Somanath attended St. Augustine's High School in Aroor and graduated from Maharaja's College in Ernakulam with a pre-university degree. His master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, with a focus on dynamics and control, followed by his graduate degree in mechanical engineering from Thangal Kunju Musaliar College of Engineering, Kollam, Kerala University.
He began working for ISRO in 1985 at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), which is the principal facility for constructing rockets. He oversaw the early integration of the PSLV rocket. He joined the GSLV MkIII Project in 2003 after moving up the ranks, and as the Deputy Project Director, he was in charge of the overall design and integration of India's heaviest and most powerful rocket.
Somanath held the positions of director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Center and ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. He is renowned for his contributions to the design of launch vehicles, especially in the fields of structural design, structural dynamics, and pyrotechnics.
Along with other things, he is credited with spearheading the creation of the high-thrust semi-cryogenic engine, throttleable engines for the Chandrayaan-2 moon lander, and the successful launch of the GSAT-9 electric propulsion system. At the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore's Masters Program in Aerospace Engineering, Dr. Somanath also won a gold medal.
On 12th January 2022 S. Somnath was selected as the next chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation. Supporters of ISRO and those who enjoy science were eager to see ISRO take part in more productive research missions under his direction.
He oversaw the ISRO VSSC until January 12 of 2022 before being given the privilege of being appointed chairman of ISRO. Dr. S. Somnath has been serving as ISRO chairperson for the past year and handling the position with grace. Under his direction, India successfully launched Chandrayaan-3.
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 "ISRO Chairman S. Somanath (File Photo)")
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