he/she rose from poverty and came to the top, he/she is like me… Former ISRO Chief K. Sivan said this about the new president V Narayanan

New Delhi: The Central Government has appointed V. Narayanan as the new Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Secretary of the Department of Space. Narayanan is an IIT alumnus and cryogenic engine developer. Narayanan will take over from the current chief of the organization S Somnath on January 14. Dr. Narayanan will be the 11th Chairman of ISRO. he/she joined ISRO in 1984. Narayanan was also the chairman of the committee that investigated the reasons for the failure of Chandrayaan-2 and has also contributed to the success of Chandrayaan-3. According to the news published in Indian Express, former ISRO chief K. Sivan has praised the new president V. Narayanan. Sivan described Narayanan as himself. he/she said, ‘Both come from villages and poor families. Both of them studied in Tamil medium government schools and through hard work reached high positions. Sivan said that only talent, hard work and dedication matter in ISRO. Sivan, who was the project director of GSLV rocket, described V. Narayanan as the best candidate for the post of Chairman.

Funny story of becoming a cryogenic engineer

Narayanan has played an important role in the development of cryogenic engines in the country. Cryogenic technology deals with the behavior of substances at extremely low temperatures. Narayanan’s entry into the cryogenic field happened by chance. Vasudev Gyan Gandhi, former project director of the Cryogenic Engine Program and Narayanan’s mentor, says, “I remember my colleague at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Dr. S. Ramakrishna had asked me if I was in a position to provide an energetic young man who was willing to work on propulsion systems. After this Narayanan came to him/her and expressed his/her desire to work on the propulsion system. Gyan Gandhi included him/her in his/her team.

‘Narayanan was a very enthusiastic engineer’

Gyan Gandhi further said, ‘In those days the only infrastructure facility on cryogenic technology was available at IIT Kharagpur. Narayanan was a very enthusiastic engineer and I suggested he/she do MTech from IIT Kharagpur. I knew the people there, especially Professor Sunil Kumar Sarangi, who was the best cryogenic expert in India at that time and was the head of the department. I asked Sarangi if he/she could take Narayanan. Things were very simple in those days. Narayanan performed very well and topped his/her MTech batch. Narayanan returned to work on cryogenic engines, and was one of 20 ISRO engineers sent to Russia to be trained on Russian technology in the early 1990s.

Who is V Narayanan?

• Born in Melakattu village in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, Narayanan completed his/her early schooling in his/her hometown. After obtaining Diploma in Mechanical Engineering (DME) and Associate Membership in Mechanical Engineering from Institution of Engineers (AMIE), he/she went to Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur to pursue Master of Technology (M.Tech) in Cryogenic Engineering. he/she also obtained his/her PhD in Aerospace Engineering from IIT Kharagpur.
• he/she has been associated with ISRO since 1984. Then joined as rocket and spacecraft propulsion specialist. Became Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Center in 2018. he/she previously worked in the area of ​​Sounding Rocket and Solid Propulsion of Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) at Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC).
• Narayanan also served as the Project Director for the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III) C25 Cryogenic Project. he/she supervised the group that built the C25 cryogenic stage, which uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen to power a 20-ton thrust engine. The GSLV Mk III vehicle was successfully launched for the first time on this stage.
• his/her major contributions to Indian space missions include the development of propulsion systems for the Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3 missions. The eminent scientists are contributing to the development of human-rating LVM3 vehicle, human-rating L110 and C32 cryogenic stages in India’s human space flight mission, Gaganyaan programme.
• he/she has also been involved in environmental control and safety systems and propulsion systems for the service and crew module. Narayanan’s appointment comes at a time when the Indian space sector is expanding. We are working on many projects including Gaganyaan human space flight, Chandrayaan-4 mission and development of our space station.