During his 40 years at ISRO, including seven as Director of LPSC, he made significant contributions to India’s space program. Photo: Periasamy M/ The Hindu.

V. Narayanan has assumed charge as the chairman of ISRO, replacing S. Somanath, the Space Agency said.

In a statement, the ISRO said, “Dr. V. Narayanan, Distinguished Scientist (Apex Grade), assumed the charge of Secretary, Department of Space, Chairman, Space Commission and Chairman, ISRO on the afternoon of January 13, 2025.”

Prior to this, Dr. Narayanan served as the Director of ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), a key facility responsible for the development of propulsion systems for launch vehicles and spacecraft.

He also played a pivotal role as the Chairman of the National Level Human Rated Certification Board (HRCB) for the Gaganyaan programme, India’s ambitious human spaceflight mission.

A veteran scientist, Dr. Narayanan joined ISRO in 1984 and has contributed significantly to India’s space missions over the decades. He became the Director of LPSC in January 2018, cementing his reputation as a leader in rocket and spacecraft propulsion technologies.

Dr. Narayanan hails from a humble background and is an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, where he completed his M.Tech in Cryogenic Engineering and PhD in Aerospace Engineering. Awarded the Silver Medal for securing the first rank in his M.Tech programme, he has also received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018 and the Life Fellowship Award in 2023 from IIT Kharagpur.

Before joining ISRO, Dr. Narayanan worked for a brief period at T.I. Diamond Chain Ltd., Madras Rubber Factory, and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) at Trichy and Ranipet.

Over his 40-year tenure at ISRO, including seven years as Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), he has made groundbreaking contributions to India’s space programme.

“When India was denied the cryogenic technology for GSLV Mk-ll vehicle, he designed the engine systems, developed necessary software tools, contributed for establishing the necessary infrastructure and test facilities, testing and qualification and completing the development of Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) and making it operational,” ISRO said.

As project director of the C25 cryogenic project for the LVM3 vehicle, he led the development of the C25 cryogenic stage powered by a 20-tonne thrust engine, which was crucial for the successful maiden launch of LVM3. His M.Tech thesis and PhD work were instrumental in the development of these systems, making India one of only six countries with indigenous cryogenic technology.

Dr. Narayanan played a vital role in India’s lunar missions. For Chandryaan-2 and 3, he led the development of the L110 Liquid Stage, the C25 Cryogenic Stage, and propulsion systems that enabled the spacecraft to reach the Moon’s orbit and achieve a soft landing.

For the PSLV C57/Aditya L1 mission, he oversaw the realisation of the second and fourth stages, control power plants, and the propulsion system that helped position the spacecraft in a halo orbit at L1, making India the fourth country to successfully study the Sun.

Dr. Narayanan has been instrumental in the Gaganyaan programme, contributing to the human-rating of the LVM3 vehicle and the development of various systems, including cryogenic stages, life support systems, and propulsion systems for the crew and service modules. He also chaired the Gaganyaan Certification Board, overseeing the certification process for multiple systems.

Under his leadership, ISRO has advanced the development of next-generation propulsion systems, including a 200-tonne thrust LOX-Kerosene semi-cryogenic rocket system, a 110-tonne thrust LOX-Methane engine, and electric and green propulsion systems for spacecraft.

He has also guided the propulsion systems for upcoming missions such as the Venus Orbiter, Chandrayaan-4, and the Bharatiya Antariksha Station (BAS).

He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, Aeronautical Society of India, Astronautical Society of India, and other esteemed organizations.

The first big news from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in the New Year seems to have an in-built element of surprise in it. On January 7, V. Narayanan, a rocket and spacecraft propulsion expert, who heads the ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, was named successor to S. Somanath, the current chairman of the space agency.

The face of ISRO since January 2022, Mr. Somanath is highly regarded, cutting a dynamic and impressive figure, especially with the younger ISRO hands. Insider-speak is that many within the organisation were expecting his term to be extended. Comparisons with his predecessor will be par for the course when Mr. Narayanan, who joined the ISRO 40 years ago, eases into the top spot on January 14.

The change of guard is happening at a critical moment for ISRO, now guided by the Space Vision 2047. On the one hand, a series of high-profile missions are in the works; the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, the Chandrayaan-4 lunar mission, the development of the Bharatiya Antariksha Station — India’s own space station — and landing an Indian on the moon by 2040, to name a few. On the other, the Indian space sector is in a state of flux, with the Space Policy, 2023 opening it up to private players.

Ever since the first U.S.-made Nike-Apache sounding rocket lifted off from Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram, in November 1963, the Indian space programme has largely remained a jealously-guarded government concern.

To his credit, Mr. Narayanan is someone who knows the ins and outs of the ISRO, having joined the space agency’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984, where he worked on solid propulsion. He moved to the LPSC in 1989 to work on cryogenic propulsion and has remained there since, initially playing his part, and in subsequent years taking the lead role, in the propulsion aspects of ISRO missions.

As LPSC Director, Mr. Narayanan was currently leading the development of propulsion systems for the Gaganyaan programme when he was named the next Secretary, Department of Space, and Chairman, Space Commission, for a period of two years.

Success story

In many ways, his is the quintessential hard-won-success tale, the kind that parents in post-Independence India loved to inspire their children with.

Hailing from a humble background at Melakattuvilai, a village in Kanniyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, young Narayanan attended a nearby Tamil-medium school. Teachers announcing Neil Armstrong’s successful 1969 moon landing is part of his childhood memories. The eldest of six children, Mr. Narayanan had a penchant for hard work and emerged as the school topper in Class X. He subsequently obtained his M.Tech. in cryogenic engineering in 1989 with a first rank from the IIT, Kharagpur. He took his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering in 2001.

At the ISRO, he has contributed to major missions and projects, including the Chandrayaan series and the successful development of the cryogenic upper stage for the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

The LPSC website describes him as “one of the few cryogenic members who have worked in this area from the beginning, carrying out fundamental research, theoretical and experimental studies and contributing to the successful development and testing of cryogenic sub systems”.

Appointed LPSC director in January 2018, Mr. Narayanan has been overseeing the development of propulsion systems for the Gaganyaan programme and the R&D into semi-cryogenic, liquid oxygen-methane and electric propulsion systems for future space exploration. Among other things, he played a critical role in finalising the 2017-2037 Propulsion Road Map of ISRO. One of the tried-and-tested hands of the space agency, Mr. Narayanan comes across as affable and polite. Within the ISRO community, he is viewed as hard-working and tenacious, as someone who gets things done. That his long career has largely been confined to LPSC is seen by some as a disadvantage, given the fast-evolving, multispeciality nature of present-day space-tech.

Many of the past chairpersons have headed multiple ISRO facilities such the LPSC and VSSC before moving on to the Bengaluru headquarters.

To his advantage, Mr. Narayanan has experience on his side. In the changing, competition-driven global space ecosystem, ISRO has the added responsibility of hand-holding Indian space-tech startups and driving industry participation. As its next Chairman, Mr. Narayanan faces the task of steering the space agency through challenging and happening times.

The first big news from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in the New Year seems to have an in-built element of surprise in it. On January 7, V. Narayanan, a rocket and spacecraft propulsion expert, who heads the ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, was named successor to S. Somanath, the current chairman of the space agency.

The face of ISRO since January 2022, Mr. Somanath is highly regarded, cutting a dynamic and impressive figure, especially with the younger ISRO hands. Insider-speak is that many within the organisation were expecting his term to be extended. Comparisons with his predecessor will be par for the course when Mr. Narayanan, who joined the ISRO 40 years ago, eases into the top spot on January 14.

The change of guard is happening at a critical moment for ISRO, now guided by the Space Vision 2047. On the one hand, a series of high-profile missions are in the works; the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, the Chandrayaan-4 lunar mission, the development of the Bharatiya Antariksha Station — India’s own space station — and landing an Indian on the moon by 2040, to name a few. On the other, the Indian space sector is in a state of flux, with the Space Policy, 2023 opening it up to private players.

Ever since the first U.S.-made Nike-Apache sounding rocket lifted off from Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram, in November 1963, the Indian space programme has largely remained a jealously-guarded government concern.

To his credit, Mr. Narayanan is someone who knows the ins and outs of the ISRO, having joined the space agency’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984, where he worked on solid propulsion. He moved to the LPSC in 1989 to work on cryogenic propulsion and has remained there since, initially playing his part, and in subsequent years taking the lead role, in the propulsion aspects of ISRO missions.

As LPSC Director, Mr. Narayanan was currently leading the development of propulsion systems for the Gaganyaan programme when he was named the next Secretary, Department of Space, and Chairman, Space Commission, for a period of two years.

Success story

In many ways, his is the quintessential hard-won-success tale, the kind that parents in post-Independence India loved to inspire their children with.

Hailing from a humble background at Melakattuvilai, a village in Kanniyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, young Narayanan attended a nearby Tamil-medium school. Teachers announcing Neil Armstrong’s successful 1969 moon landing is part of his childhood memories. The eldest of six children, Mr. Narayanan had a penchant for hard work and emerged as the school topper in Class X. He subsequently obtained his M.Tech. in cryogenic engineering in 1989 with a first rank from the IIT, Kharagpur. He took his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering in 2001.

At the ISRO, he has contributed to major missions and projects, including the Chandrayaan series and the successful development of the cryogenic upper stage for the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

The LPSC website describes him as “one of the few cryogenic members who have worked in this area from the beginning, carrying out fundamental research, theoretical and experimental studies and contributing to the successful development and testing of cryogenic sub systems”.

Appointed LPSC director in January 2018, Mr. Narayanan has been overseeing the development of propulsion systems for the Gaganyaan programme and the R&D into semi-cryogenic, liquid oxygen-methane and electric propulsion systems for future space exploration. Among other things, he played a critical role in finalising the 2017-2037 Propulsion Road Map of ISRO. One of the tried-and-tested hands of the space agency, Mr. Narayanan comes across as affable and polite. Within the ISRO community, he is viewed as hard-working and tenacious, as someone who gets things done. That his long career has largely been confined to LPSC is seen by some as a disadvantage, given the fast-evolving, multispeciality nature of present-day space-tech.

Many of the past chairpersons have headed multiple ISRO facilities such the LPSC and VSSC before moving on to the Bengaluru headquarters.

To his advantage, Mr. Narayanan has experience on his side. In the changing, competition-driven global space ecosystem, ISRO has the added responsibility of hand-holding Indian space-tech startups and driving industry participation. As its next Chairman, Mr. Narayanan faces the task of steering the space agency through challenging and happening times.