Dr. G. Madhavan Nair

Rocket engineer who directed LPSC and VSSC and chaired ISRO from 2003 to 2009, a period that included Chandrayaan-1.

Portrait of Dr. G. Madhavan Nair
Photo: Navaneeth Krishnan S, നവനീത് കൃഷ്ണന്‍ എസ് · CC0 · source

G. Madhavan Nair (born 31 October 1943)

Contribution

As Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre from 1995 to 1999, Madhavan Nair oversaw the period when India's own cryogenic engine work took concrete shape. As Director of VSSC from 1999 he led the team developing the GSLV, which succeeded on its first flight.

In his six years as ISRO Chairman, 25 missions succeeded. He also pushed space applications on the ground, such as tele-education through EDUSAT, telemedicine, and village resource centres connected by satellite.

Career

He was born in Thiruvananthapuram. He graduated in engineering from Kerala University in 1966 and trained at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Bombay.

He joined the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in 1967 and rose through ISRO's rocket centres. He led Indian delegations to the scientific and technical subcommittee of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space from 1998.

He received the Padma Bhushan in 1998 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2009.

Linked missions

  • Chandrayaan-1: launched during his chairmanship.
  • Cartosat-1, Cartosat-2, EDUSAT, INSAT-4A and Oceansat-2: among the 25 successful missions of his tenure.
  • GSLV: developed while he was Director of VSSC.

Sources

  1. Shri G. Madhavan Nair (2003-2009) — ISRO
  2. ISRO scientists call on PM — PIB
  3. Former Chairmen — ISRO