Former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan passes away: 10 things to know about the space scientist

K Kasturirangan, the former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), passed away on Friday in Bengaluru, officials said.

“He left for heavenly abode this morning at his residence in Bengaluru. His body will be kept at Raman Research Institute (RRI) for paying last respects on April 27,” as per a PTI report quoting officials.

Kasturirangan, who was 84 at the time of his death, is survived by his wife and two sons, according to the report, quoting family sources. The sources also said that the former ISRO chief had been suffering from ailments related to age for the past few months.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of Kasturirangan.

Here are 10 things to know about former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan

1. Kasturirangan served as the chairperson of the drafting committee on the new National Education Policy (NEP), chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University and chairman of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission.

2. Kasturirangan served as ISRO chief for nine years till 2003.

3. He was earlier the Director of ISRO Satellite Centre, where he oversaw the activities related to the development of new generation spacecraft, Indian National Satellite (INSAT-2) and Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS-1A & 1B) as well as scientific satellites.

4. Under his leadership, ISRO successfully launched many satellites, including the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and, more recently, the first successful flight testing of the all-important Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

5. He had also served as a member of the Rajya Sabha (2003–09) and as a member of the Planning Commission of India. Kasturirangan was also the director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, from April 2004 to 2009.

6. The former ISRO chief was born on October 24, 1940, at Ernakulam in Kerala to CM Krishnaswamy Iyer and Visalakshi.

7. Hailing from Tamil Nadu, his family had settled at Chalakudy in Thrissur district. His mother was from a Palakkad Iyer family.

8. Kasturirangan earned his Bachelor of Science with Honours and Master of Science degrees in Physics from Bombay University. He received his Doctorate Degree in Experimental High Energy Astronomy in 1971 working at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad.

9. As an astrophysicist, his interests included research in high-energy X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy as well as optical astronomy. He also made significant contributions to studies of Cosmic X-ray sources, celestial gamma-rays and effect of cosmic X-rays in the lower atmosphere.

10. For his exemplary work, Kasturirangan was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2000. The space scientist has also won several other awards throughout his life for his contributions.