V Narayanan Named Next ISRO Chief, Takes Charge January 14

New Delhi: The Central Government has appointed V Narayanan as the new Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Secretary of the Department of Space. He will succeed S Somanath on January 14, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet announced on Tuesday.

Mr. Narayanan, currently the head of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) in Valiamala, will serve a two-year term. He will also take over as the Chairman of the Space Commission.

A distinguished scientist and the senior-most director at ISRO, Mr. Narayanan has been instrumental in advancing India’s cryogenic engine technology, a critical achievement despite initial international restrictions.

The LPSC, under his leadership, focuses on developing liquid, semi-cryogenic, and cryogenic propulsion stages for launch vehicles, as well as propulsion and control systems for satellites. His work also extends to transducer development for space systems health monitoring.

Mr. Narayanan chairs the Project Management Council-Space Transportation System (PMC-STS), which oversees all ISRO launch vehicle projects. He is also the Chairman of the National Level Human Rated Certification Board (HRCB), responsible for certifying launch systems for Gaganyaan, India’s first planned human spaceflight mission.

An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, Mr. Narayanan earned an M.Tech in Cryogenic Engineering and a PhD in Aerospace Engineering. He received a Silver Medal for securing the top rank during his M.Tech studies. After joining ISRO in 1984, he steadily rose through the ranks and became the director of LPSC in 2018.

His predecessor, S Somanath, led ISRO to historic achievements, including India’s successful landing at the Moon’s south pole—making it the first nation to do so. Under Mr. Somanath’s leadership, India joined the ranks of the US, the former Soviet Union, and China in achieving a soft landing on the Moon.