V Narayanan: Lesser known facts about IIT alumnus to be next Isro chief

On January 14, 2025, Dr. V Narayanan, a renowned scientist at the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro), will take over as chairman, replacing his predecessor S. Somanath

The Union government announced on Tuesday that V Narayanan will take over as the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), replacing S Somanath. In addition, V Narayanan will serve as secretary to the department of space.

 

As per the order from the Cabinet's appointments committee, V Narayanan will take over as ISRO chief on January 14, 2025. According to news agency ANI, which cited the appointment order, V Narayanan will hold these positions for the next two years or till further notice.

 

The order from the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel and Training stated, "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri V. Narayanan, Director. Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Valiamala as Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Space Commission for a period of two years with effect from 14.01.2025, or until further orders, whichever is earlier".

Who is V Narayanan? 

In the Kanyakumari District's Melakattu village, close to Nagercoil, Narayanan was born in 1964. He graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, in 1989 with a first rank M.Tech. in Cryogenic Engineering and in 2001 with a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering.

 

Dr Narayanan has a host of achievements to his credit, and among the most significant was his work towards helping develop key technologies used in Isro’s launch vehicles, including the workhorse PSLV and the country’s heaviest LVM3, a version of which will be deployed to ferry a human crew to space in the Gaganyaan mission.

 

The new Isro chief also headed the prestigious LPSC, which is helping in the development of the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) — a heavier launch vehicle that would be needed for India’s ambition of setting up its own space station and sending a man to the moon. This vehicle will have the capacity to carry 30 tonnes to low earth orbit (LEO). 

V Narayanan: Education and Career

• Narayanan began his career at the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicles (ASLV), Solid Propulsion area for Sounding Rockets, and polar satellite launch Vehicles (PSLV) at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). 
• He also helped with the design, management, and implementation of composite motor cases, composite igniter cases, and additive nozzle systems.
• Narayanan is currently the director of the LPSC, one of the main ISRO centers, which has a Bengaluru unit in addition to its headquarters in Valiamala, Thiruvananthapuram. 
• He played a key role in India being self-sufficient in this field and one of the six nations with sophisticated, high-performance cryogenic propulsion systems worldwide. 
• Narayanan also completed Isro’s 20-year (2017–2037) Propulsion Road Map and made a significant contribution to spacecraft propulsion.
• In his five years as LPSC Director, he has supplied 164 liquid propulsion systems for 41 launch vehicles and 31 spacecraft missions. 
• Additionally, he serves as the Chairman of the Project Management Council-Space Transportation System (PMC-STS), which makes decisions for all programs and initiatives involving launch vehicles.
• His leadership of the Failure Analysis Committee for Chandrayaan 2, the mission when the Vikram Lander crashed, was one of his most recent achievements. Once he figured it out, Vikram's safe landing at Shiv Shakti Point made Chandrayaan 3 a huge success.

V Narayanan: Awards and Achievements 

• Silver Medal from IIT Kharagpur for First Rank in M.Tech 
• Team Award from High Energy Materials Society of India 
• Gold Medal from the Astronautical Society of India (ASI) 
• The ASI Award for Rocket and Related Technologies
• Outstanding Achievement & Performance Excellence Awards
• Team Excellence Awards of ISRO.