Satish Dhawan was an Indian mathematician and aerospace engineer, widely regarded as the father of experimental fluid dynamics research in India. Born in Srinagar, Dhawan was educated in India and further on in United States. Dhawan was one of the most eminent researchers in the field of turbulence and boundary layers, leading the successful and indigenous development of the Indian space programme. He succeeded M. G. K. Menon, as the third chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1972.
The Engineering Services Examination (ESE) is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to recruit officers for the services which cater to the technical functions of the Government of India. It is a three-stage competitive examination comprising objective, subjective and personality tests.
G. Madhavan Nair is an Indian space scientist and a former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, and Secretary to the Department of Space, Government of India. He has also been the Chairman of the Space Commission and Chairman of the Governing Body of the Antrix Corporation, Bangalore. He was Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Technology Patna until he stepped down due to his involvement in a controversial deal relating to sale of radio spectrum bandwidth involving Antrix. He was subsequently barred from holding any government positions.
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.
Koppillil Radhakrishnan is an Indian space scientist who headed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) between November 2009 and December 2014 as Chairman of Space Commission, Secretary of the Department of Space and Chairman of ISRO. Prior to this, he was the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (2007-2009) and Director of National Remote Sensing Agency (2005-2008) of the Department of Space. He had a brief stint of five years (2000-2005) in the Ministry of Earth Sciences as Director of Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS).
Thekkethil Kochandy Alex is an Indian space scientist. He was the director of the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) (2008–2012) and Member, Space Commission. He specialized in electro-optic systems and satellite technology. Starting with the first Indian satellite Aryabhata he has been responsible for the sensor systems in all the Indian satellites. Under his leadership the Laboratory for Electro Optics Systems (LEOS) was established in 1993 and from the inception he was its director till 2008. He was conferred "Dr. Vikram Sarabhai Distinguished Professorship" in 2011.
Brahm Prakash, was a metallurgist known for his work with nuclear materials in India.
M.Y.S. Prasad is an Indian scientist and the former director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota Range (SDSC-SHAR). Govt. of India’s Civilian Award Padma Shri for the year 2014 for his distinguished service in Science and Technology.
M. C. Dathan is an Indian space scientist and former director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). The Government of India honoured him, in 2014, by awarding him the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for his contributions to the fields of science and technology. In May 2016, the Government of Kerala appointed MC Dathan as the scientific advisor to chief minister.
Prem Shanker Goel is an Indian space scientist, former secretary at the Department of Ocean Development, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India and a former director of Indian Space Research Organization. He was honored by the Government of India, in 2001, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.
Nagarajan Vedachalam is an Indian space scientist, K. R. Ramanathan Distinguished Professor of the Department of Space and Distinguished Scientist Emeritus of Indian Space Research Organization, known for his contributions to Indian space programme. He is a former director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre that developed the cryogenic engine of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and is reported to have associated with over 100 space programmes of ISRO. He continues to sit in many committees of the Department of Space though officially retired from ISRO service as the director of ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) and holds several patents for his innovations.
Sundaram Ramakrishnan was an Indian space scientist and a former director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, who is known to have contributed to the development of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). He has served the Indian Space Research Organization for over 40 years.
Prahlada is an Indian missile scientist, former vice chancellor of Defence Institute of Advanced Technology and a former director of Defence Research and Development Laboratory, the largest of the Defence Research and Development Organization laboratories in India, known for his contributions to Indian space programme. He was honoured by the Government of India in 2015 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
Nilamber Pant is an Indian space scientist, a former member of the Space Commission of India and a pioneer of satellite based communication and broadcasting in India. He served at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre and the ISRO Satellite Centre before becoming the vice chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1984.
Madhavan Pillai Ramakrishna Kurup was an Indian rocket scientist and the founder of the first solid rocket propellant plant in India at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. He is known to have contributed to the successful launching of the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) as the director of the VSSC centre in Thiruvananthapuram. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian award of Padma Shri in 1990.
Tumkur Seetharamaiah Prahlad is an Indian aerospace scientist and the former director of the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bengaluru, known as a specialist in Aerodynamics and Aerospace Design. His contributions are reported in Indian civil aircraft development programmes of Hansa and NAL Saras and light combat aircraft development programme. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 2004, The same year, he received the H. K. Firodia Award from H. K. Firodia Memorial Foundation.
Suryanarayanan Srinivasan (1941–1999) was an Indian aeronautical engineer and the Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), known for his pioneering work in rocket science. He also served as the director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre and assisted A. P. J. Abdul Kalam in the SLV3 Mission as its deputy director. He was an elected Fellow of the Aeronautical Society of India and the Indian National Academy of Engineering. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 2000, for his contributions to Indian space program.
Katuru Narayana is an Indian rocket scientist and a former director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, one of the two launch centres of the Indian Space Research Organisation. He held the post from 1999 to 2005 after which he served as the co-chairman of the Mission Readiness Review Committee for two Indian space programs, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle. He is a recipient of an honorary doctorate from Sri Venkateswara University. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2002, for his contributions to science and engineering.
Eknath Vasant Chitnis is an Indian space scientist and a former member secretary at the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), which evolved into the present-day Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He is also a former director of Space Applications Centre of ISRO and a former colleague of APJ Abdul Kalam, the erstwhile president of India. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, in 1985.
The U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), formerly ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) is an Indian Space Research Organisation centre for the design, development, and construction of Indian satellites. It was established in the year of 1972 as Indian Scientific Satellite Project (ISSP) in Peenya Industrial Estates of Bengaluru. ISAC has been renamed as U. R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) after the former ISRO Chairman and ISAC founding Director Dr. Udupi Ramachandra Rao with effect from 2 April 2018.
