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Updated January 12th, 2022 at 21:46 IST

DRDO congratulates new ISRO Chief S Somanath; hopes for 'major gains' in space sector

Taking to Twitter, DRDO extended its best wishes to Somanath who will serve as the Chairman of ISRO and Secretary of the Department of Space.

Reported by: Harsh Vardhan
DRDO
IMAGE: PTI | Image:self
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The Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), on behalf of Chairman Dr. G Satheesh Reddy, congratulated senior rocket scientist S Somanath on his appointment as the new Chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on January 12. Taking to Twitter, DRDO extended its best wishes to Somanath who will also serve as the Secretary of the Department of Space (DoS). "Dr G Satheesh Reddy along with DRDO fraternity congratulates Shri S Somanath on being appointed as Secretary, Dept of Space & Chairman, Space Commission. Best wishes for major gains in space journey under his stewardship", DRDO wrote in its tweet.

Previously serving as the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) since 2018, Somanath will succeed K Sivan who was appointed ISRO Chairman in 2018 and is due to vacate his position on January 14. In an official release by the Centre's Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, it was revealed that Somanath is being promoted for the aforementioned posts and will serve on the positions for a tenure of three years. In an exclusive interview with Republic Media Network, former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayan welcomed the appointment of Somanath as the new Chief and called him a 'capable scientist'. 

Major projects await Somanath

Although Somanath has vast experience as a rocket scientist, his appointment as ISRO Chief comes at a time when India is looking to kickstart the Gaganyaan project later this year along with many major missions. Somanath has been associated with the VSSC and ultimately ISRO since 1985 and has led major development projects such as the GSLV Mk-III launcher and the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). 

ISRO's plans for 2022, apart from the Gaganyaan mission includes Chandrayaan-3, which would mark India's return to the Moon, along with Aditya-L1 mission to the Sun. Under the Gaganyaan mission, ISRO will conduct two unmanned flights under the leadership of Somanath this year followed by the third flight in 2023, which will carry the first Indian astronauts to space. The Aditya L-1 mission on the other hand is an upgradation of the Aditya-1 mission under which a satellite with six payloads having enhanced science scope and objectives will be installed in a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1.

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Published January 12th, 2022 at 21:42 IST

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