V Narayanan assumes charge as Isro chairman, succeeds S Somnath.

New Delhi: Dr. V. Narayanan on Tuesday assumed charge as the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), succeeding S. Somanath. As a Distinguished Scientist (Apex Grade), Dr. Narayanan brings nearly four decades of experience at ISRO to his new role.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), ISRO announced, "Dr. V. Narayanan, Distinguished Scientist (Apex Grade), has assumed charge as Secretary, Department of Space, Chairman of the Space Commission, and Chairman of ISRO."

This leadership transition marks a pivotal moment for India's space program. With his extensive experience at ISRO, Dr. Narayanan is poised to guide the organization’s ambitious space missions, the post added.

According to an official statement from ISRO, Dr. Narayanan previously served as the Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), one of ISRO’s key facilities, which has its headquarters in Valiamala, Thiruvananthapuram, and a unit in Bengaluru.

As Director of LPSC, he provided techno-managerial leadership. LPSC is responsible for the development of chemical and electric propulsion systems for satellites, control systems for launch vehicles, and liquid, semi-cryogenic, and cryogenic propulsion stages for launch vehicles. It also designs transducers for propulsion system health monitoring.

Dr. Narayanan joined ISRO in 1984 and held various roles before being appointed Director of LPSC in January 2018.

He is an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, where he earned a Silver Medal for topping his M.Tech program in Cryogenic Engineering. He also holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the same institution. Notably, he received the Life Fellowship Award from IIT Kharagpur in 2023 and the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018.

Before joining ISRO, Dr. Narayanan worked for a year and a half at organizations such as TI Diamond Chain Ltd., Madras Rubber Factory, and BHEL (Tiruchirappalli and Ranipet).

During his tenure at ISRO, he played a key role in designing engine systems, developing necessary software tools, setting up infrastructure and test facilities, performing testing and qualification processes, and completing the development of the Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS). He also made the CUS operational for the GSLV Mk-II vehicle's cryogenic technology, solidifying ISRO’s advancements in space propulsion systems.