V Narayanan To Take Over S Somnath As ISRO Chief

New Delhi: Dr. V Narayanan has been appointed as Indian Space Research Organisation’s ( ISRO ) next chairman. An official notification on Tuesday confirmed that Dr. Narayanan will take over the charge from the current ISRO chief, S. Somnath, on January 14, 2025.  

Who is Dr. V Narayanan, The Next ISRO Chief?

Dr. V Narayanan a Distinguished Scientist at ISRO, currently serves as the Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC). With nearly four decades of experience, he has held several key positions within India’s premier space agency, specializing in rocket and spacecraft propulsion.

One of Dr. Narayanan's major achievements was his role as Project Director for the C25 Cryogenic Project of the GSLV Mk III vehicle. Under his leadership, the team successfully developed the C25 Stage, a crucial component of the GSLV Mk III rocket.  

Throughout his tenure at LPSC, Dr. Narayanan guided the development and delivery of 183 Liquid Propulsion Systems and Control Power Plants for various ISRO missions. His contributions were pivotal in the realization of the 2nd and 4th Stages of the PSLV, along with the control power plants for PSLV C57. He also played a significant role in the propulsion systems for key missions, including the Aditya spacecraft, GSLV Mk-III, Chandrayaan-2, and Chandrayaan-3.

Dr. Narayanan’s exceptional contributions to India's space program have earned him numerous prestigious awards, including the Silver Medal from IIT Kharagpur, a Gold Medal from the Astronautical Society of India (ASI), and the National Design Award from the NDRF.