Nilesh M Desai

Last updated

Nilesh M. Desai Nilesh M Desai.png
Nilesh M. Desai

Nilesh M. Desai is an Indian engineer, and space scientist known for his contributions in the field of space technology, and applications. His contributions span across multiple Indian space programs, notably in the development of microwave radar satellites, the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), quantum key distribution,  and spearheading the third Indian lunar exploration mission, Chandrayaan-3. He assumed the directorship of the Space Applications Centre (SAC), [1] Ahmedabad, on January 1st, 2021. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Nilesh Desai, born on April 1st, 1964 in a Gujarati family of Navsari in Gujarat, completed his schooling from Kandriya Vidhlya. Desai graduated with top honors, securing the gold medal in the 1985/86 batch of BE (Electronics & Communication) from L. D. College of Engineering, Gujarat, as well as Bundelkhand University. [4] Jhansi has presented him the degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris causa) at its 28th Convocation held on 30 September 2023, [5] for his contribution in the design and development of ISRO’s Microwave Radar (RISAT [6] ), Oceansat, [7] NISAR, [8] and critical elements of Chandrayaan-3.

Career at ISRO

Commencing his professional journey in 1986 at SAC/ISRO, Desai began working in ISRO's Microwave Remote Sensing Programme (MRSP). Over his career, Desai has been instrumental in the design and development of ISRO's Microwave Radar Systems, contributing significantly to advanced applications encompassing earth observation, navigation, and communication technologies for societal welfare, governance, and strategic purposes.  Desai's expertise lies in leading the design and development of various key projects such as the RISAT-1 C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Oceansat-2 and Scatsat-1, Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter SAR and Lander Altimeter, and Hazard Detection & Avoidance Processing System for Chandrayaan-3. Additionally, he was a pivotal role in the realization of Airborne SAR for Disaster Management, MiniSAR, [9] as well as signal & data processing, and remote sensing applications. Desai played a pioneering role in advancing VLSI and semiconductor manufacturing within India. Under his guidance, ISRO achieved a significant milestone by developing its first indigenous ASIC. His critical involvement led to the modernization of India’s semiconductor manufacturer, SCL Chandigarh, and has been actively contributing to the formulation of Indian semiconductor policies towards enhancing the semiconductor landscape of India. Under his guidance, ISRO pioneers the development of the first satellite-based Based Quantum Communication (SBQC). [10]

During his tenure, he held the positions of Group Director and Deputy Director of multiple technical areas of SAC. He also worked as an associate director for some duration before he became the director of SAC.

Contributions and recognitions

His contributions and leadership have earned him prestigious accolades, including the ISRO Performance Excellence Award (2018), [11] ISRO Individual Merit Award (2010), and the ISRO Team Award for RISAT-1 Payload in 2012. Desai's recent recognitions include the IESA Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Indian Space Programme at Spacetronics and Deftronics Summit-2023, as well as the "Lifetime Achievement Award" for Accelerating the Indian Design Verification Ecosystem by DVCon-India, [12] 2023.

International representation and professional affiliations

Nilesh Desai has represented ISRO, and India at various international forums in countries such as Austria, China, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, and the United Kingdom. He has actively contributed to discussions and conferences, notably organizing and presiding over the ICG-14 [13] held in India in December 2019. He remains an active life member of several professional societies, including the Indian Society of Remote Sensing (ISRS), Indian Society of Geomatics [14] (ISG), Astronautical Society of India [15] (ASI), and Indian Society of Systems for Science and Engineering [16] (ISSE).  Desai served as the National President of ISRS [17] from 2020 to 2022, and currently holds the position of Vice President of ISSE [18] -Ahmedabad Chapter.

Advocacy and outreach

Desai's enthusiasm for space science outreach is evident through his involvement in activities like the Vikram Sarabhai Space Exhibition, [19] Smart India Hackathon (SIH), [20] and delivering lectures in engineering and science on National Science & Technology days. As the Chief Nodal Officer of ISRO/DOS for SIH, he actively spearheads various outreach initiatives for school and college students at SAC/ISRO.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ISRO</span> Indian national space and aeronautics agency

Indian Space Research Organisation is India's national space agency. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister of India, with the Chairman of ISRO also serving as the chief executive of the DoS. It is primarily responsible for space-based operations, space exploration, international space cooperation and the development of related technologies. The agency maintains a constellation of imaging, communication and remote sensing satellites. It operates the GAGAN and IRNSS satellite navigation systems. It has sent three missions to the Moon and one mission to Mars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chandrayaan-1</span> First lunar orbiter of Indias Chandrayaan Programme

Chandrayaan-1 was the first Indian lunar probe under the Chandrayaan programme. It was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in October 2008, and operated until August 2009. The mission included an orbiter and an impactor. India launched the spacecraft using a PSLV-XL rocket on 22 October 2008 at 00:52 UTC from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The mission was a major boost to India's space program, as India researched and developed indigenous technology to explore the Moon. The vehicle was inserted into lunar orbit on 8 November 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space Applications Centre</span> Indian research institution

Space Applications Centre (SAC) is an institution of research in Ahmedabad under the aegis of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is one of the major centres of ISRO that is engaged in the research, development and demonstration of applications of space technology in the field of telecommunications, remote sensing, meteorology and satellite navigation. This includes research and development of on-board systems, ground systems and end user equipment hardware and software. SAC has three campuses, two of which are located at Ahmedabad and one at Delhi. The current director of the centre is Mr Nilesh M Desai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RISAT</span> Series of Indian radar imaging satellites

RISAT (Radar Imaging Satellite) is a series of Indian radar imaging reconnaissance satellites built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). They provide all-weather surveillance using synthetic aperture radars (SAR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. N. Shankara</span>

Koodli Nanjunda Ghanapathi Shankara was a space scientist from India. He was the Director of ISRO's Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad and ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), Bangalore. He was the Director of Satellite Communications Program Office and Program Director, INSAT, and was looking after overall planning and direction of communication satellite program. His work in the field of transponder design and development led to a boost in India's communication satellite technology.

RISAT-2, or Radar Imaging Satellite-2 was an Indian radar imaging reconnaissance satellite that was part of India's RISAT programme. It was procured from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and successfully launched aboard a PSLV-CA launch vehicle at 01:15:00 UTC on 20 April 2009 from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oceansat-2</span> Indian Earth observation satellite

Oceansat-2 is the second Indian satellite built primarily for ocean applications. It was a part of the Indian Remote Sensing Programme satellite series. Oceansat-2 is an Indian satellite designed to provide service continuity for operational users of the Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) instrument on Oceansat-1. It will also enhance the potential of applications in other areas. The OceanSat-2 mission was approved by the government of India on 16 July 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RISAT-1</span> Indian Earth observation satellite

Radar Imaging Satellite 1 or RISAT-1, was an Indian remote sensing satellite built and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The second RISAT satellite to be launched, it used a C-band 5.35 GHz synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) for Earth observation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koppillil Radhakrishnan</span> Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation

K. Radhakrishnan a.k.a Koppillil Radhakrishnan is an Indian space scientist who headed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as Chairman of Space Commission, Secretary of the Department of Space, Government of India. Under his leadership, India became the first country to reach Mars in its first attempt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Joseph (scientist)</span> Indian space scientist (born 1938)

George Joseph is an Indian space scientist, best known for his contributions to the development of remote sensing technology in India, especially Earth observation sensors. He is a former chairman of the Lunar Mission Study Task Force of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, Indian Academy of Sciences and Indian National Academy of Engineering. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NISAR (satellite)</span> Joint NASA-ISRO synthetic radar aperture spacecraft

The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission is a joint project between NASA and ISRO to co-develop and launch a dual-frequency synthetic aperture radar on an Earth observation satellite in 2025. The satellite will be the first radar imaging satellite to use dual frequencies. It will be used for remote sensing, to observe and understand natural processes on Earth. For example, its left-facing instruments will study the Antarctic cryosphere. With a total cost estimated at US$1.5 billion, NISAR is likely to be the world's most expensive Earth-imaging satellite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tapan Misra</span> Indian scientist

Tapan Misra is an Indian scientist who has been the Director of Space Applications Centre and Physical Research Laboratory in ISRO. He later became Senior Advisor to the Chairman, ISRO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EOS-04</span> Indian radar imaging satellite

EOS-04 or Earth Observation Satellite - 04 is an Indian Space Research Organisation Radar Imaging Satellite designed to provide high-quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as Agriculture, Forestry & Plantations, Soil Moisture & Hydrology and Flood mapping. It is a follow on to RISAT-1 satellite with similar configuration. The satellite is developed by the ISRO and it is the sixth in a series of RISAT satellites.

RISAT-2B, or Radar Imaging Satellite-2B is an Indian radar reconnaissance satellite that is part of India's RISAT programme and the third satellite in the series. It is built by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to replace RISAT-2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RISAT-2BR1</span> Indian Earth observation satellite

RISAT-2BR1 is a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) imaging satellite built by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is part of India's RISAT series of SAR imaging satellite and fourth satellite in the series. RISAT-2BR1 was launched on 11 December 2019 at 09:55 UTC aboard Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C48 from First Launch Pad (FLP) of Satish Dhawan Space Centre. It was the 50th launch of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and 75th launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

Oceansat is a series of Earth observation satellites built, launched, and operated by Indian Space Research Organisation, and dedicated to oceanography and atmospheric studies. Oceansat satellites facilitate a range of applications including documenting chlorophyll concentration, phytoplankton blooms, atmospheric aerosols and particulate matter as well as marine weather forecast to predict cyclones.

EOS-01 is an X-band, synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) based all weather Earth imaging satellite built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for tasks pertaining to forestry, agricultural and disaster management. It is a part of India's RISAT series of SAR imaging spacecraft and would be third satellite in the series including RISAT-2B, RISAT-2BR1 with 120° phasing. EOS-01 has been developed at the cost of roughly ₹125 crore.

Amitabh Singh is an Indian Space Scientist. He was Project Manager for Chandrayaan-1 Mission and Deputy Project Director & Operation Director for Chandrayaan-2 Mission at Indian Space Research Organization. He handled the optical payload data processing and on-board algorithm related to Chandrayaan-2 Lander and Rover. He is also a Guest Faculty at Department of Physics, Electronics & Space Science of the Gujarat University. He is working for upcoming Chandrayaan-3 project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chandrayaan-4</span> Indian lunar sample-return mission

Chandrayaan-4 is a planned lunar sample return mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the fourth iteration in its Chandrayaan lunar exploration programme. The mission is currently under conceptualization and expected to launch around 2027.It is planned to return upto 3 Kilograms of lunar regolith from near Statio Shiv Shakti.

References

  1. ↑ "Space Applications Centre". www.sac.gov.in. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "Space Applications Centre". www.sac.gov.in. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  3. ↑ "Nilesh Desai new SAC director". The Times of India. 1 January 2021. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "Bundelkhand University, Jhansi". www.bujhansi.ac.in. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "The convocation ceremony will take place with major changes, the scientist will be awarded an honorary degree". 25 September 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  6. ↑ "RISAT-1". www.isro.gov.in. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "Oceansat-2". www.isro.gov.in. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  8. ↑ Rosen, Paul A.; Kim, Yunjin; Kumar, Raj; Misra, Tapan; Bhan, Rakesh; Sagi, V. Raju (May 2017). "Global persistent SAR sampling with the NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) mission". 2017 IEEE Radar Conference (RadarConf). IEEE. pp. 0410–0414. doi:10.1109/radar.2017.7944237. ISBN   978-1-4673-8823-8. S2CID   12427851.
  9. ↑ "MiniSAR (A miniaturized Airborne SAR Payload at X-Band)". www.isro.gov.in. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)". www.isro.gov.in. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  11. ↑ "ISRO Awards presented to 96 achievers". www.isro.gov.in. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  12. ↑ "DVCon India – Design and Verification Conference & Exhibition". dvcon-india.org. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  13. ↑ "ICG 14: Working Group D Presentations". www.unoosa.org. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  14. ↑ "ISG I Indian Society of Geomatics (ISG) – ISG I Indian Society of Geomatics (ISG)". isgindia.org. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "ASINDIA". www.asindia.org. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  16. ↑ "ISSEIndia". isseindia.co.in. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  17. ↑ "Indian Society of Remote Sensing | Home". www.isrs-india.org. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  18. ↑ "ISSEIndia". isseindia.co.in. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  19. ↑ "Space Applications Centre". www.sac.gov.in. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  20. ↑ "ISRO Organizes Smart India Hackathon-2022 Grand Finale". www.isro.gov.in. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.