Meet V Narayanan, the ISRO chief who will take over from S Somanath.

S Somanath will be replaced as chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization by V Narayanan.

The Union government said on Tuesday that V Narayanan will take over as chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, replacing S Somanath. In addition, V Narayanan will assume leadership as the department of space's secretary.

As per the directive from the Cabinet's appointments committee, V Narayanan will take over as ISRO chief on January 14 in lieu of S Somanath.

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 appointment of Shri V. Narayanan, Director of 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, has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet,” the order said.

Who is the new ISRO chairman, V Narayanan?
Renowned scientist V Narayanan has almost forty years of rocket and spacecraft propulsion experience.

 
He joined ISRO in 1984 and served in a number of positions before taking on the role of head of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC). He is an expert in rocket and spacecraft propulsion.

 
He was employed at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in the Solid Propulsion division of Sounding Rockets and Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) during the first phase.

 
Additionally, V Narayanan helped with the planning, control, and realization of composite motor cases, composite igniter cases, and Ablative 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.

 
Recently, the ISRO made headlines when it introduced SpaDex, a domestically developed space docking technology that is essential for large-scale projects like Gaganyaan and Chandrayaan 4. India is now among the select few nations with that technology. China, Russia, and the United States are the other nations. (With assistance from ANI.)