Who is new ISRO chief S Somanath? Know all about the senior rocket scientist

Senior rocket scientist S Somanath has been named the next head of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and secretary of the Department of Space. Since January 2018, S Somanath has been the director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). Somanath will succeed K Sivan, who served as the public space agency's Chairman since his appointment in 2018 and will retire on January 14. According to a release by the Centre's Ministry Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Somanath will now serve as the Secretary of Department of Space (DoS) and Chairman of the Space Commission for a tenure of three years.

Who is S Somanath?

A mechanical engineer from the TKM College of Engineering in Kerala's Kollam, Somanath rose to prominence for his contributions to the development of the GSLV Mk-III launcher and of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Moreover, he owns a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering from IISc, Bangalore with a specialisation in Dynamics and Control.

According to ISRO, he is an expert in a host of disciplines including launch vehicle design and has specialised in launch vehicle systems engineering, structural design, structural dynamics, integration designs and procedures, mechanism design and pyrotechnics.

Somanath had joined the VSSC in 1985 and worked his way to becoming the Project Director of GSLV Mk-III from 2010 to 2014 after joining the project in 2003. He also was the Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) and was responsible for the system integration design, development and testing of the stages of PSLV during its development. Besides, Somanath led the LVM3-X/CARE mission which was the first successful experimental suborbital test flight of LVM3 on December 18, 2014.

The long list of Somanath’s contributions also includes the launches of commercial mini satellites in PSLV-C2 and C3 missions and the development of accommodation and separation systems for small satellites. Somanath has won many accolades right from the beginning which include Gold Medal from Bengaluru’s IISc during his Master's Programme and ‘Space Gold Medal’ from the Astronautical Society of India. In addition to this, he has also been awarded ISRO’s Performance Excellence award in 2009 and the Team excellence award for effective leadership of the GSLV Mk-III project.

Somanath’s appointment comes at a very crucial point as ISRO will be kickstarting some major projects including the Gaganyaan, which is scheduled for launch later this year.

Image: ISRO