Prof. U. R. Rao

Space scientist who built India's satellite programme from Aryabhata onwards and chaired ISRO from 1984 to 1994.

Udupi Ramachandra Rao (10 March 1932 – 24 July 2017)

Contribution

In 1972 Rao took on the job of building satellite technology in India from scratch. Starting with Aryabhata, India's first satellite, launched in 1975, his teams designed and launched more than 18 satellites for communication, Earth observation and weather.

As ISRO Chairman from 1984 he sped up rocket development. The ASLV and the PSLV both flew successfully in his time. In 1991 he started work on the GSLV and on cryogenic engine technology.

Career

Rao was born in Adamaru, Udupi district, Karnataka. He studied at Madras University, Banaras Hindu University and Gujarat University, where he earned his PhD in 1960.

He worked on the faculty of MIT and at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he took part in experiments on NASA's Pioneer and Explorer spacecraft. He returned to India in 1966 as a professor at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad.

He received the Padma Bhushan in 1976 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2017. On 19 March 2013 he became the first Indian space scientist inducted into the Satellite Hall of Fame in Washington DC. He died at his home in Bengaluru on 24 July 2017.

Linked missions

Aryabhata (1975): first Indian satellite, built under his leadership.
ASLV and PSLV: first successful flights during his chairmanship.
GSLV: development started in 1991.