V. Narayanan
Secretary, Department of Space; Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation
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V. Narayanan became Secretary of the Department of Space and Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in January. He is a propulsion scientist with four decades of experience at ISRO.
Narayanan played a central role in developing India’s cryogenic propulsion systems and contributed to missions such as Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3, Aditya-L1, and the ongoing Gaganyaan human spaceflight program. He also advanced work on semi-cryogenic and green propulsion and helped design systems for India’s planned Venus Orbiter.
He earned his doctorate in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. His contributions have been recognized with more than 25 awards, including the APJ Abdul Kalam Award and honors from the International Academy of Astronautics.
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