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The Hindu
25-04-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
K. Kasturirangan, A meticulous person who helmed ISRO in challenging times
K. Kasturirangan, the former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) who passed away in Bengaluru, was once known as the 'Chairman with golden fingers' in the ISRO community, G. Madhavan Nair, who had succeeded him to the top post in 2003, recalled on Friday. Dr. Kasturirangan was a 'very meticulous person' who did an excellent job as Chairman during the nine-year period from 1994 that he was at the helm, Dr. Madhavan Nair told The Hindu. ISRO carried out a number of missions during this period, which, though not many in number, were all successful. 'It was not luck. He was a very meticulous person, someone who never left anything to chance. He would go into the details of each and every thing, analyse, and make sure all the data were collected. Unless he was fully satisfied he never gave the go-ahead,' Dr. Madhavan Nair said. An alumnus of the Sree Rama Varma High School in Ernakulam, Dr. Kasturirangan was part of the Indian space programme from its early days. He was Project Director for India's first two experimental earth observation satellites, Bhaskara-I and Bhaskara-II, and later the first operational Indian Remote Sensing Satellite, IRS-1A. Before all that, Dr. Kasturirangan used to be a research associate at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, in the late 1960s, which is where Dr. Madhavan Nair first met him. Dr. Madhavan Nair recalls that the space agency was going through a tough phase when Dr. Kasturirangan took over from U.R. Rao as Chairman in 1994. 'The first launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV D1 in September 1993), in the last leg of Prof. Rao's tenure, was not a successful one. So it fell on Dr. Kasturirangan to see to it that the PSLV become a success. Of course, there were other challenges too, like making advanced remote sensing satellites and so on,' he said. Bigger trouble was brewing in the form of the ISRO espionage case of 1994, when a number of senior scientists were accused of selling space-tech secrets. It had also escalated into a full-blown political controversy in Kerala. Though subsequently declared as fabricated, the case played havoc with the lives of the accused scientists and the morale of the space agency. Dr. Kasturirangan's predilection to go about things in his characteristic quiet way was on display in his handling of the events, according to Dr. Madhavan Nair. 'He was trying to look at the inner details. He conducted all the reviews and he did the job silently. After making sure that no spying had taken place, he took action, spoke to (then Prime Minister) P.V. Narasimha Rao and made sure that the CBI came into the picture,' Dr. Madhavan Nair said. 'That was his nature, he did it silently and managed the situation well.' He also came down to Thiruvananthapuram and spoke to the ISRO staff at the Veli and Valiamala units, in a bid to boost their morale, Dr. Madhavan Nair recalls.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Ex Isro chief K Kasturirangan, who donned many hats, dies at 84 in Bengaluru
Dr K Kasturirangan BENGALURU: Former Isro chairman K Kasturirangan , 85, who had donned many hats in his long career as a scientist and administrator breathed his last at 10.43am at his residence in Bengaluru, on Friday (April 25, 2025). He had been unwell for several months. As per Isro, his body will be kept in RRI for paying last respects on Sunday (April 27) from 10am to 12pm. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru His health particularly suffered after a heart attack in Sri Lanka on July 10, 2023, when he was airlifted to Bengaluru's Narayana Hrudayalaya hospital for treatment. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo His contributions to the Indian space programme has been immense: He oversaw activities relating to India's INSAT-2, a new generation communication satellite and two remote sensing satellites. Much prior to this, he was the project director of India's first two experimental satellites, Bhaskara-I and II. He served as Isro chairman for nine long years before being replaced by Madhavan Nair in August 2003. According to Isro: 'Further, he has also overseen the design, development and launching of the world's best civilian satellites, IRS-1C and 1D, realisation of the second generation and initiation of third generation INSAT satellites, besides launching ocean observation satellites IRS-P3/P4. These efforts have put India as a pre-eminent space-faring nation among the handful of six countries that have major space programmes.' As an Astrophysicist, Kasturirangan's interest included research in high energy X-ray and gamma ray astronomy as well as optical astronomy. Isro says he has made extensive and significant contributions to studies of Cosmic x-ray sources, celestial gamma-ray and effect of cosmic x-rays in the lower atmosphere. Kasturirangan was a member of several important scientific academies, both within India and abroad. Born on October 24, 1940, at Ernakulam to C M Krishnaswamy Iyer and Visalakshi, Kasturirangan completed his Bachelor of Science with honours and Master of Science degrees in Physics from Bombay University and received his doctorate degree in Experimental High Energy Astronomy in 1971 working at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. 'Under his leadership as Chairman, Isro, the space programme witnessed several major milestones including the successful launching and operationalisation of the India's prestigious launch vehicle, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and more recently, the first successful flight testing of the all important Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV),' according to Isro. After superannuating from Isro, Kasturirangan became a Rajya Sabha member, served as chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University , chairman of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission and director of National Institute of Advanced Studies. He was also a member of the now defunct Planning Commission of India. More recently he was instrumental in formulating India's new education policy, as chairman of the National Education Policy (NEP) committee. Among other things, the government had also commissioned a report from a team led by him on the Western Ghats, recommendations from where, however, not yet been implemented. Domestically, he was a fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences of India, Indian National Academy of Engineering, Astronautical Society of India, National Telematics Forum, The Indian Meteorological Society etc, while he was also a member of the International Astronomical Union and the International Academy of Astronautics and is a member of its Board of Trustees. 'He has chaired some of the prestigious international committees, such as, the International Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), Panel for Space Research in Developing countries of COSPAR/ICSU, and the committee meeting at senior official level of UN-ESCAP, that led to the adoption of the "Delhi Declaration" by the Ministers of the region (1999-2000),' according to Isro. Further, he was the chairman of the Governing Board of the UN Centre for Space Science & Technology Education (UN-CSSTE), among the Board of Governors of IIT Chennai, member of the Governing Council of the Raman Research Institute and Research Council of the National Aerospace Laboratory. While he has won several awards, including the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award in Engineering, the government has recognised his contributions through Padma Vibhushan. He has published more than 240 papers in the areas of astronomy, space science and applications, and has edited six books.
