Dr. A. E. Muthunayagam (born on 11 January 1939) is a leading

space scientist The following outline is provided as an overview and topical guide to space science: Space science encompasses all of the scientific disciplines that involve space exploration and study natural phenomena and physical bodies In common usage ...

in the

Indian Space Research Organisation The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman ...

and the chief architect of

rocket propulsion A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

in India. He was responsible for the creation of

Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) is a research and development centre functioning under Indian Space Research Organisation. It has two units located at Valiamala, in Thiruvananthapuram of Kerala, and Bengaluru of Karnataka. LPSC is a ...

. For his significant contributions to the development of Propulsion Technology in India, he is known as the father of propulsion technology in India's space program. He chose to return to India from the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding th ...

for the development of propulsion technology in the Indian Space Research Organisation. He established the Test Stands and Assembly and Integration Facilities in Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Mahendragiri for testing liquid stages of the

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites ...

and the

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) is an expendable launch system operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). GSLV was used in fourteen launches from 2001 to 2021. Even though GSLV Mark III shares the name, it is an ...

. He is the founder director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre] and held the position from 30 November 1985 to 14 April 1994. He held the secretary position in the

Department of Ocean Development The Ministry of Earth Sciences was formed on 29 January 2006 from a merger of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune ...

. He worked as an executive vice-president in Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment. He worked as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the

Indian Institute of Technology The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are central government owned public technical institutes located across India. They are under the ownership of the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. They are governed by the Institu ...

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

from 2005 to 2008. He was appointed under Section 11 of the IIT Act of 1961, which lays down the composition of the Board of Governors for each of the seven Indian Institutes of Technology across India

Education

He obtained his bachelor of engineering (mechanical) degree from the

University of Madras The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigiou ...

in 1960 with first class honors. His master's degree was completed at

Indian Institute of Science The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The institute wa ...

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

in 1962 with distinction. He obtained his Doctorate from the school of Mechanical Engineering in

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

, USA in 1965. He also completed his law degree in the

University of Kerala University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is a state-run public university located in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chit ...

in 1975.

Career in the Indian Space Research Organisation

*Head, Propulsion Engineering Division, SSTC *Head, Mechanical Engineering Division, SSTC *Project Leader **Rohini 125 Rocket Project **Rohini Multi-stage Rocket Project **Strip Wound Motor Project *Project Engineer and Chairman, Board of Administration, Static Test & Evaluation Complex at Sriharikotta, Andhra Pradesh *Member of Board of Management, Sriharikotta centre *Director, Propulsion Group, VSSC *Project Manager of Vikas Project (Technology Collaboration with French Aeronautical Company) *Chairman, Rocket Propulsion Board *Convener, the Indian Space Research Organisation-

Centre national d'études spatiales The (CNES; French: ''Centre national d'études spatiales'') is the French government space agency (administratively, a "public administration with industrial and commercial purpose"). Its headquarters are located in central Paris and it is und ...

(France) Launcher Working Group *Adviser, Static Test Facilities of the Indian Space Research Organisation *Programme Director, Auxiliary Propulsion Systems Unit of the Indian Space Research Organisation *Director, Liquid Propulsion Projects *Chairman, LPP Management Board *Chairman, SRC on SLV-3 Rocket Motors *Chairman, Mission Readiness Review, ASLV D1 & D2 Launch

Other official positions

He was a member of Science and Technology Committee constituted by the Government of Kerala, Review Committee for

Birla Institute of Technology Birla may refer to: * Birla family * Members of the Birla family: ** Aditya Vikram Birla ** Ananya Birla ** Basant Kumar Birla ** G. D. Birla ** K. K. Birla ** C. K. Birla ** Kumar Mangalam Birla See also * Burla (disambiguation) Burla may refer ...

Ranchi Ranchi (, ) is the capital of the Indian state of Jharkhand. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern Odisha, western West Bengal and the eastern area ...

(Constituted by the Ministry of Social welfare, Government of India) and Scientific Advisory committee on propulsion, National Aeronautical Lab, Bangalore.

International and intergovernmental organizations

*Chairman of Regional Committee of Inter-governmental Oceanographic Commission for the Central Indian Ocean (1996–2001) *Chairman, Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1998–2000) *Vice chairman of Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission for two years (1996–1998)

Academic contributions

He was coordinator for establishing ancillary Industrial units around the Space Centre in 1970, referee to review papers for International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer,

Pergamon Press Pergamon Press was an Oxford-based publishing house, founded by Paul Rosbaud and Robert Maxwell, that published scientific and medical books and journals. Originally called Butterworth-Springer, it is now an imprint of Elsevier. History The cor ...

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and examiner of post-graduate degree in mechanical engineering, for Kerala University, California University, Birla Institute of Technology, and the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras.

Professional societies

*Fellow, Astronautical Society of India *Fellow, Aeronautical Society of India *Fellow,

Indian National Academy of Engineering The Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), founded in 1987, comprises India's engineers, engineer-scientists and technologists covering the entire spectrum of engineering disciplines. The Academy is registered under the Societies Reg ...

*Foreign Member of Academy of Cosmonautics, Moscow, Russia *Fellow, Institution of Engineers (India)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muthunayagam, A. E. People from Nagercoil Indian space scientists Scientists from Tamil Nadu 1939 births Living people Indian Space Research Organisation people Indian Institute of Science alumni 20th-century Indian engineers