New Delhi: Rocket scientist V Narayanan was on Tuesday appointed Secretary, Department of Space, succeeding S Somanath, who will complete his tenure next week.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved appointment of Shri V. Narayanan, Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Valiamala as Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Space Commission for a period of two years with effect from 14.01.2025, or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” an official order said.
Secretary, Department of Space, also holds the charge of chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
According to the order from the appointments committee of the Cabinet, V Narayanan will assume office on January 14, succeeding the current ISRO chief, S Somanath.
V Narayanan will serve in these roles for the next two years or until further notice, news agency ANI reported, citing the appointment order.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri V. Narayanan, Director. Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Valiamala as Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Space Commission for a period of two years with effect from 14.01.2025, or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” the order stated.
Narayanan, currently Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, will begin his tenure on Jan 14, 2025, for a two-year period. With nearly four decades of experience, he has significantly contributed to major ISRO projects, including the CE20 Cryogenic Engine for GSLV Mk III.
A distinguished scientist at ISRO, Narayanan has held various key positions within the Indian space agency over a period of four decades. His expertise lies in rocket and spacecraft propulsion.
Narayanan was the Project Director for the C25 Cryogenic Project of the GSLV Mk Ill vehicle. His team had successfully developed the C25 Stage, a vital component of GSLV Mk III, under his leadership, the PTI report stated.
He joined the ISRO in 1984 and functioned in various capacities before becoming director of the Centre. For the initial four and a half years of his career, he worked in the Solid Propulsion area of Sounding Rockets and Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
Narayanan completed his M.Tech in Cryogenic Engineering with First Rank at IIT-Kharagpur in 1989 and joined the Cryogenic Propulsion area in the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC).
