Rocket scientist heads ISRO liquid propulsion systems centre
By IANSWednesday, June 2, 2010
BANGALORE - Noted rocket scientist S. Ramakrishnan is the new director of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) liquid propulsion systems centre at Thiruvananthapuram.
The space agency Wednesday said Ramakrishnan, as director of projects at its Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thiruvananthapuram earlier, had played a key role in the development of polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) and its liquid propulsion stages.
“Under Ramakrishnan’s leadership as project director, the PSLV continuation programme (PSLC-C1 to C4), their operationalisation and enhancing of payload capability to 1,500 kg from 900 kg were accomplished,” ISRO said in a statement here.
A product of IIT Chennai, Ramakrishnan also steered the geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV Mark-III) during its crucial design phase, engineering and realisation of its hardware for development test.
“Ramakrishnan also played a lead role in the formulation of the Indian Human Spaceflight Project (HSP) and completion of system concept reviews,” the statement added.
He was conferred Padmashree by the government in 2003.