Latest news with #SDSCSHAR
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Science
- The Hindu
Padmakumar E.S. is the new director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota
Padmakumar E.S. has taken charge as the director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (SDSC SHAR). Prior to this posting, he was director of the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) at Vattiyoorkavu, Thiruvananthapuram. As the new director of SDSC SHAR, Mr. Padmakumar succeeds A. Rajarajan, who has moved to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, as its director. Mr. Padmakumar is joining the spaceport at a time when ISRO is gearing up for the missions as part of the Gaganyaan programme and launches from industries. At IISU, Mr. Padmakumar was leading the development of high-accuracy navigation sensors such as Hemispherical Resonant Gyro and other inertial systems. The navigation systems for Chandrayaan-3 were developed by his team. He also led the robotics activities including the India's first space robotics arm, RRMTD (Relocatable Robotic Manipulator Technology Development) which flew on the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM-4) mission. Mr. Padmakumar joined VSSC in 1986 and has held several important positions including Group Director, Deputy Director, and Associate Director. A native of Moorkanikara, Thrissur, Mr. Padmakumar is an alumnus of the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. His wife Radha R.K. is a senior scientist and division head at Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute, Palode. Their daughter, Medha Padmakumar, is an electronics engineer.
New Indian Express
31-07-2025
- Science
- New Indian Express
Rajarajan, a composites expert and key force behind Vikram-S, named new VSSC director
THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Senior scientist A Rajarajan has been appointed as the new Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram. He will assume charge on August 1, succeeding S Unnikrishnan Nair, who is set to retire on July 31. Dr Rajarajan currently serves as Director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota. A veteran in the Indian space sector with nearly four decades of experience, Dr Rajarajan is widely regarded as an expert in composite materials, critical for building lightweight, durable, and high-strength structures used in satellites, spacecraft, and launch vehicles. During his tenure at SDSC SHAR, Dr Rajarajan played a pivotal role in enhancing launch infrastructure to meet the growing demands of ISRO's ambitious missions, including the Human Space Programme (Gaganyaan) and the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).
