ISRO 'moves' top scientist to headquarters

ISRO Chairman K Sivan has moved out Tapan Misra, the director of one its crucial branches to Bengaluru, appointing him as its advisor, an official said.

There is a buzz that the senior scientist was shunted out due to his differences with Sivan over the increasing role of private entities in the different areas of ISRO's operations.

However, an official said the director of the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad was moved and has been given "the position of an advisor". D K Das, another senior scientist, has replaced Misra.

Known for building some important satellites of the country, Misra is one of the top contenders to head the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in future.

For instance, A S Kiran Kumar was the head of the Space Applications Centre before becoming the ISRO chief. Similarly, the incumbent ISRO chief was the director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Center.

ISRO has several branches that work in very niche areas and usually the head of these centres is appointed as the head of the organisation.

So, there is a speculation that Misra's removal may hurt his prospects. However, the official added that there was no co-relation with Misra's transfer to the headquarters and his career progression.