A. S. Kiran Kumar

Designer of satellite cameras, from Bhaskara to the Mars Orbiter Mission, who chaired ISRO from January 2015 to January 2018.

Alur Seelin Kiran Kumar (born 22 October 1952)

Contribution

Kiran Kumar spent four decades building the electro-optical imaging sensors that let Indian satellites photograph the Earth and other planets. His work ran from the TV camera on Bhaskara to the payloads of the Mars Orbiter Mission. He also helped work out how to steer that spacecraft to Mars and insert it into Mars orbit.

At the Space Applications Centre he directed payloads and applications for Earth observation, communication, navigation, space science and planetary missions.

Career

He was born in Hassan, Karnataka. He earned physics degrees from Bangalore University in 1971 and 1973 and an M.Tech in physical engineering from the Indian Institute of Science in 1975.

He joined the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad in 1975, later became its Associate Director, and took over as Director in March 2012. On 14 January 2015 he became ISRO Chairman, Chairman of the Space Commission and Secretary of the Department of Space. K. Sivan succeeded him in January 2018.

He received the Padma Shri in 2014.

Linked missions

Bhaskara: TV camera payload.
Mars Orbiter Mission: payloads and the strategy for reaching Mars orbit.
Cartosat and Chandrayaan-1: International Academy of Astronautics team awards in 2008 and 2013.