V Narayanan: The rocket scientist who will lead ISRO into its next phase. 10 things to know | Company Business News

The Centre has appointed V Narayanan as the new Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Secretary of the Department of Space, effective January 14. He will succeed S Somanath in these roles. An official order from the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel and Training states, “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri V. Narayanan, Director. Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Valiamala as Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Space Commission for a period of two years with effect from 14.01.2025, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.” Narayanan currently serves as the Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) in Valiamala, Kerala.

10 things you should know about ISRO’s new chief V Narayanan

1)Dr. V Narayanan, a Rocket and Spacecraft Propulsion Expert, joined ISRO in 1984 and functioned in various capacities before becoming Director of the Centre.

2)His early work involved the Solid Propulsion area for Sounding Rockets, Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicles (ASLV), and polar satellite launch Vehicles (PSLV) at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).

3)He also contributed to the process planning, control, and realization of Additive nozzle systems, Composite motor cases, and Composite Igniter cases.

4)In 1989, I completed my M.Tech in Cryogenic Engineering with First Rank at IIT-Kharagpur and joined the Cryogenic Propulsion area in Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC).

5)His contribution made India one of six countries in the world to have complex and high-performance cryogenic propulsion systems and made self-reliance in this area.

6)He has also made a significant contribution to Spacecraft Propulsion and finalized ISRO’s Propulsion Road map for the next 20 years (2017 – 2037).

7)As Director of LPSC, he has delivered 164 liquid propulsion systems for 41 launch vehicles and 31 spacecraft missions over the last five years.

8)Narayanan currently leads the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), a key ISRO center with its headquarters in Valiamala and a unit in Bangalore.

9) Dr Narayanan is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. He received his M.Tech. with First Rank in Cryogenic Engineering in 1989 and PhD in Aerospace Engineering in 2001.

10) He is a recipient of the Silver Medal from IIT Kharagpur for First Rank in M.Tech, a Gold Medal from the Astronautical Society of India (ASI), the ASI Award for Rocket and Related Technologies, Team Award from High Energy Materials Society of India, Outstanding Achievement & Performance Excellence Awards and Team Excellence Awards of ISRO.