V Narayanan Named as the New Chairman of ISRO

The Central Government has appointed V. Narayanan as the new Chairman for Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Secretary to the Space Department. The appointment commences on January 14, when Narayanan will take over from Somanath after his tenure. He will continue as Secretary of the Department of Space after S. Somanath, whose term of office is soon ending, on January 14. Initially, his term of office was two years from the order issued on January 7, 2011, by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. He is presently the director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at Valiamala, Kerala.

With a few decades of extensive experience, he has in the rocket and spacecraft propulsion strategic area made the man eligible among the most renowned in the scientific fraternity in that field and left a rich treasure in the not-so-old profession.

Under his guidance, LPSC delivered 183 Liquid Propulsion Systems and Control Power Plants for various ISRO missions. Narayan was the Director at LPSC, and during his tenure, CE20 Cryogenic Engine was developed for GSLV Mk III, which is a vital project for India's space program.

He has about four decades of experience in rocket and spacecraft propulsion, during which time he managed to become one of the great legacies himself. Nationally, he is the reputed scientist who brings this into his new role. His experiences include significant contributions to major ISRO projects such as Aditya Spacecraft, GSLV Mk-III, and many more. There have been several prestigious awards that have been given to him for his accomplishments, including the Shri Award from the Astronautical Society of India and Distinguished Alumni Award from IIT-Kharagpur.