Koppillil Radhakrishnan (born 29 August 1949) is an Indian space scientist who
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See also
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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 ...
(ISRO) between November 2009 and December 2014 as Chairman of
Space Commission
The Department of Space is an Indian government department responsible for administration of the Indian space program. It manages several agencies and institutes related to space exploration and space technologies. The Indian space program und ...
, Secretary of the
Department of Space
The Department of Space is an Indian government department responsible for administration of the Indian space program. It manages several agencies and institutes related to space exploration and space technologies. The Indian space program und ...
and Chairman of ISRO. Prior to this, he was the Director of
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) is a major space research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), focusing on rocket and space vehicles for India's satellite programme. It is located in Thiruvananthapuram, in the India ...
Department of Space
The Department of Space is an Indian government department responsible for administration of the Indian space program. It manages several agencies and institutes related to space exploration and space technologies. The Indian space program und ...
. He had a brief stint of five years (2000-2005) in the
Ministry of Earth Sciences
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 ...
as Director of
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is an autonomous organization of the Government of India, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, located in Pragathi Nagar, Hyderabad. ESSO-INCOIS was established as an autonomous body ...
IIT Council
The Council of Indian Institutes of Technology, or IIT Council, is the governing body responsible for all of the Indian Institutes of Technology
The IIT Council comprises the minister-in-charge of technical education in the Union Government (as ...
; Chairperson of the Oversight Committee of Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB-DST), and Chairman, High-powered Committee of Indian Knowledge Systems, Ministry of Education-Government of India besides being a Member of Space Commission and Honorary Distinguished Advisor in the
Department of Space
The Department of Space is an Indian government department responsible for administration of the Indian space program. It manages several agencies and institutes related to space exploration and space technologies. The Indian space program und ...
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 ...
; Fellow of the
National Academy of Sciences, India
The National Academy of Sciences, India, established in 1930, is the oldest science academy in India. It is located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Prof. Meghnad Saha was the founder president.
Fellows
*Suddhasatwa Basu
* Sudha Bhattacharya
* Ch ...
Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers
The Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) is India's leading recognized professional society devoted to the advancement of science, technology, electronics, telecommunication and information technology. Founded in ...
, India; Member of the
International Academy of Astronautics
The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) is an independent non-governmental organization established in Stockholm ( Sweden) on August 16, 1960, by Dr. Theodore von Kármán, and recognized by the United Nations in 1996.
The IAA has electe ...
; Distinguished Fellow of Astronautical Society o India Fellow of the Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences; Honorary Fellow of the Kerala Academy of Sciences; Fellow of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing; and Fellow of the
Indian Geophysical Union
The Indian Geophysical Union is the Government of India's scientific body responsible for all activities related with Earth Science System such as seismology, magnetism, meteorology, geodesy, volcanology, oceanography, hydrology and tectonophysic ...
. He is an accomplished
vocalist
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
(
Carnatic music
Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, an ...
) and
Kathakali
Kathakali ( ml, കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes of the traditional male actor-dancers. It is native to the M ...
artist.
Penguin Random House India
Penguin Random House LLC is an Anglo-American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, from the merger of Penguin Group and Random House.
On April 2, 2020, Bertelsmann announced the completion of its purchase of ...
published his autobiography ''My Odyssey: Memoirs of the Man Behind the Mangalyaan Mission'' (), co-authored by Radhakrishnan and Nilanjan Routh, in November 2016.
Education and personal life
Koppillil Radhakrishnan hails from
Irinjalakuda
Irinjalakuda is a municipal town in Thrissur district, Kerala, India. It is the headquarters of
Irinjalakuda Revenue Division and Mukundapuram Taluk. After Thrissur, this town has most number of administrative, law-enforcement and judicial of ...
Government Engineering College, Thrissur
The Government Engineering College Thrissur (GEC-T) is a public engineering and research institute located in Thrissur, Kerala, India. During its establishment in 1957, it was the second-oldest public engineering institute to be established in ...
and acquired BSc (Engg.) degree in First Class with Honours from
Kerala University
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 1970. He did post-graduate studies in management at
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM Bangalore or IIMB) is a public business school and Institute of National Importance located in Bangalore, India. Founded in 1973, it was the third IIM to be established, after IIM Calcutta and IIM ...
in 1974-76. He obtained doctorate from the
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) is a public institute of technology established by the Government of India in Kharagpur, West Bengal, India. Established in 1951, the institute is the first of the IITs to be established ...
, in 2000, for the thesis : 'Some Strategies for the Management of Indian Earth Observation System'.
Radhakrishnan married Padmini Kizhakke Valappil from Irinjalakuda in 1983. Padmini worked with
State Bank of Travancore
State Bank of Travancore (SBT) was a major Indian bank headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, and was a major associate of State Bank of India.
SBT was a subsidiary of the State Bank Group, but also had private share-holders. It was ...
from 1980 to 2010.
Indian Space Research Organisation
Radhakrishnan joined ISRO in May 1971 at the Space Science & Technology Centre at Thiruvananthapuram (the present
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) is a major space research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), focusing on rocket and space vehicles for India's satellite programme. It is located in Thiruvananthapuram, in the India ...
) as a design and development engineer of electro-mechanical devices. Later he worked on system planning and technology management for avionics systems of
SLV-3
The Satellite Launch Vehicle or SLV was a small-lift launch vehicle project started in the early 1970s by the Indian Space Research Organisation to develop the technology needed to launch satellites. SLV was intended to reach a height of and c ...
,
ASLV
The Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle or Advanced Satellite Launch Vehicle, also known as ASLV, was a small-lift launch vehicle five-stage solid-fuel rocket developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to place 150 kg satelli ...
and
PSLV
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) satellite ...
. During 1981-97, at the ISRO Headquarters, he oversaw the preparation and review of annual budgets of ISRO, formulation of decade profile and Five Year Plans for Indian Space programme and the related techno-economic analysis.
Remote Sensing
Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring information about Earth ...
Applications.
As Project Director, he set up a chain of regional remote sensing service centres (RRSSC) at Bangalore, Nagpur, Kharagpur, Jodhpur and Dehradun for capacity building in central and state government agencies. While he was the Director, RRSSCs came to prominence in the national remote sensing application missions including the Integrated Mission for Sustainable Development (IMSD) aimed at generation of spatial database of natural resources and action plans for sustainable development of land and water resources.
Later, Radhakrishnan succeeded as the Mission Director of IMSD and moved to National Remote Sensing Agency in Hyderabad. IMSD was considered as largest remote sensing application experiment ever done in the world using a meticulous participatory approach. As the Director of National Remote Sensing Agency, he scripted India’s modern multi-mission ground station for Earth Observation Satellites.
Space Transportation System
The Space Transportation System (STS), also known internally to NASA as the Integrated Program Plan (IPP), was a proposed system of reusable crewed space vehicles envisioned in 1969 to support extended operations beyond the Apollo program. ...
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) is a major space research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), focusing on rocket and space vehicles for India's satellite programme. It is located in Thiruvananthapuram, in the India ...
as its Director, he oversaw five successful launches of
PSLV
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) satellite ...
including development of its high-end version PSLV –XL that lofted Chandrayaan-1 in October 2008 as well as formulation of
Indian Human Spaceflight programme
The Indian Human Spaceflight Programme (IHSP) was initiated in 2007 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to develop the technology needed to launch crewed orbital spacecraft into low Earth orbit. The first uncrewed flight, named G ...
.
Chief of India's Space Programme
As India's space chief from November 2009 to December 2014, Radhakrishnan led ISRO to achieve 37 space missions including several historic feats including Mars Orbiter Mission; flying Indian Cryogenic Engine on GSLV; the first experimental flight of the
GSLV Mk III
The Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM 3), previously referred to as the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk3), is a three-stage medium-lift launch vehicle developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Primarily desi ...
; a re-entry experiment of an un-manned crew module; and new space capabilities through
IRNSS
The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), with an operational name of NavIC (acronym for 'Navigation with Indian Constellation; also, 'sailor' or 'navigator' in Indian languages), is an autonomous regional satellite navigation s ...
GSAT-7
GSAT-7 or INSAT-4F is a multi-band military communications satellite developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation. The Indian Navy is the user of the multi-band communication spacecraft, which has been operational since September 2013. Acc ...
for strategic communication; and
RISAT-1
Radar Imaging Satellite 1 or RISAT-1, was an Indian remote sensing satellite built by the Indian Space Research Organisation
and operated by National Technical Research Organisation . The second RISAT satellite to be launched, it used a C-b ...
for microwave radar imaging. ISRO completed two joint satellite missions ( Megha Tropiques and
SARAL
SARAL (''S''atellite with ''AR''gos and ''AL''tiKa) is a cooperative altimetry technology mission of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). SARAL performs altimetric measurements designed to s ...
NASA
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 t ...
to jointly build an advanced Radar Imaging Satellite. India's standing in the global space market was enhanced as PSLV launched 18 commercial satellites for 11 countries. Through an inclusive organisational process, Radhakrishnan charted out clear programmatic directions and nurtured younger generation of leaders for carrying forward the legacy of ISRO. Re-defining the '' Chandrayaan-2'' mission with Indigenous lander and rover and extending the application of space technologies and tools to all central ministries are highlights of his leadership regime at ISRO. He worked to enhance the partnership with the Indian space industry for the production of operational launchers and satellites.
During his leadership, ISRO received the 2014 Gandhi Peace Prize; the 2014
Indira Gandhi Prize
The Indira Gandhi Prize, or the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize, also known as Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, is the prestigious award accorded annually by Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust
Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan)
Mars Orbiter Mission
The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also called ''Mangalyaan'', was a space probe orbiting Mars since 24 September 2014. It was launched on 5 November 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was India's first interplanetary missio ...
(MOM; aka ''Mangalyaan'') was conceived, planned and executed, within four years (2010-2014), establishing India as the first country to have successful mission to Mars in its maiden attempt, and at significantly low cost (INR 4.5 Billion) .
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 ...
and Indian Cryogenic Stage
GSLV had a checkered history in its initial flights of 2001-2007 and they were powered by cryogenic upper stage of Russia. After failure of the Indian Cryogenic upper stage on GSLV in April 2010 (GSLV-D3) and recurrence one more failure of GSLV with Russian Cryogeinc upper stage (GSLV-F06) in December 2010, Radhakrishnan steered ISRO towards the landmark success in January 2014 GSLV-D5. This marked the beginning of the successful series of GSLV with Indian Cryogenic Upper Stage.
Ocean Observation and Information Services
Radhakrishnan had a stint of five years the Ministry of Earth Sciences to set up,
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is an autonomous organization of the Government of India, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, located in Pragathi Nagar, Hyderabad. ESSO-INCOIS was established as an autonomous body ...
(INCOIS). In the aftermath of the
Indian Ocean Tsunami
An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...
disaster of December 2004, he emerged as the Project Director to set up the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning Centre.
Kathakali and Carnatic Music
Radhakrishnan is a
Carnatic music
Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, an ...
and
Kathakali
Kathakali ( ml, കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes of the traditional male actor-dancers. It is native to the M ...
enthusiast and performer. Radhakrishnan was drawn into the world of performing arts from childhood. After formal training in
Kerala Natanam
Kerala Natanam (കേരള നടനം) (Kerala Dance) is a new style of dance that is now recognised as a distinct art form evolved from Kathakali, a form of Indian dance-drama. The Indian dancer Guru Gopinath (ഗുരു ഗോപിന ...
, under Professor Thrippunithura Vijayabhanu, he had training in
Kathakali
Kathakali ( ml, കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes of the traditional male actor-dancers. It is native to the M ...
dance under Guru Pallippuram Gopalan Nair, Kalanilayam Raghavan and Shri T.V.A Varier. Also, he was trained in
Carnatic music
Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, an ...
by eminent musicians like Prof. Vechoor Harihara Subramania Iyer, Dr. R.K. Srikantan, Dr. Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana; currently he is student of Vidwan R.S. Ramakanth. Dr. Radhakrishnan has performed at Bengaluru Sangeethotsav, Sankranthi Music Festival of RK Srikantan Trust, Swaralaya, Bangalore Centre for Kathakali and Arts, JSS Sangeetha Sabha, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar Music Festival at Chennai. He has been singing at the Guruvayoor Chembai Sangeetholsavam every year since 2008.
Positions held
He has held several key positions in ISRO and was one of the key people behind India's '' Chandrayaan-1'' moon mission. He has held the following positions:
* Project Director, Regional Remote Sensing Service Centres under the umbrella of National Natural Resources Management System (1987–1989)
* Director, Regional Remote Sensing Service Centres under the umbrella of National Natural Resources Management System (1989–1997)
* Director, Budget and Economic Analysis, Indian Space Research Organisation/Department of Space, Bangalore, India (1987–1997)
* National Mission Director, Integrated Mission for Sustainable Development and a Deputy Director of the National Remote Sensing Agency (1997–2000)
* Director, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (2000–2005)
* Project Director, Indian Tsunami Warning System (2005)
* Vice Chairman -
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC/UNESCO) was established by resolution 2.31 adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO. It first met in Paris at Unesco Headquarters from 19 to 27 October 1961. Initially, 40 States becam ...
(IOC) of
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
(2001–2005)
* Founding Chairman, Indian Ocean Global Ocean Observing System (2001–2006)
* Regional Coordinator, Indian Ocean for the International Argo Project (2001–2005)
* Director, National Remote Sensing Agency, Department of Space (2005–2008)
* President, Indian Society of Remote Sensing (2005-2007)
* Vice President, Indian Geophysical Union (2007-2009)
* Member of the Indian delegation to the
United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) is a United Nations committee whose main task is to review and foster international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, as well as to consider legal issues ar ...
(2006-2009)
* Director,
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) is a major space research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), focusing on rocket and space vehicles for India's satellite programme. It is located in Thiruvananthapuram, in the India ...
, Thiruvananthapuram, India (2007–2009)
* Member, Space Commission (2008-2009)
* Chairman, 'Working Group of the Whole' of S&T Sub-Committee of UN COPUOS (2008 & 2009)
* Chairman, Space Commission & Secretary, Department of Space
* Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation, Bangalore, India (2009-2014)
* Chairman, Board of
Antrix Corporation
Antrix Corporation Limited ( ISO 15919: ) is an Indian government-owned company under the administrative control of the Department of Space. It was incorporated in September 1992, as a commercial and marketing arm of ISRO by prompting, comme ...
, Bangalore, India (November 2009-July 2011)
* Chairman,
Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology
Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) is a government-aided institute and deemed university for the study and research of space science, located at Valiamala, Nedumangad,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. It is the first universit ...
, Thiruvananthapuram, India (2009-2014)
* Member, Planning Committee of National Natural Resources Management System (2009-2014)
* Chairman, NNRMS Standing Committee on Technology & Training (2009-2014)
* President, Astronautical Society of India (2010-2014)
* Member of CSIR Society and Member of CSIR Governing Council (2010-2013)
* Chairman, Research Council of National Aerospace Laboratory (2010-2013)
* Ex-officio Member of Scientific Advisory Committee to Prime Minister (2009-2014)
* Ex-officio Member of Scientific Advisory Committee to Cabinet (2009-2014)
* Chairman,
Indian Institutes of Engineering Science and Technology
Indian Institutes of Engineering Science and Technology (abbreviated as IIEST) was a planned group of academic institutions in India for research and education in engineering, originally proposed by the Government of India in 2007 to meet the inc ...
, Shibpur, India (2014–2017)
* Adviser, Department of Space/Indian Space Research Organisation (2016 & 2017)
* Honorary Distinguished Adviser, Department of Space/Indian Space Research Organisation (March 2018 – present)
*Chairman, Board of Management, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering & Technology (present)
*Chairperson, Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (February 2019 – present)
*Chairperson, Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar
*Chairman, Standing Committee of the IIT Council (December 2019 – present)
*Member, Space Commission (February 2022 – present)
*Chairperson, Oversight Committee of Science & Engineering Research Board SERB-DST (May 2022 - present]
*Chairman, High-powered Committee of Indian Knowledge Systems, Ministry of Education (October 2022 - present)
*Chairman, Committee for strengthening the Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions, Ministry of Education (November 2022)
Major Awards and honours
* 2014: Radhakrishnan received the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
Award for contribution to Science and Engineering, especially in the field of Space Science and Technology.
* 2014: Named one of ''Nature'' ten "people who mattered" of 2014 on 18 December 2014, along with
Radhika Nagpal
Radhika Nagpal is an American computer scientist and researcher in the fields of self-organising computer systems, biologically-inspired robotics, and biological multi-agent systems. She is the Fred Kavli Professor of Computer Science at Harvard ...
, and others.
*2003: K.R. Ramanathan Memorial Gold Medal of Indian Geophysical Union
*2005: VASVIK Industrial Research Award
*2006: Silver Jubilee Honour by Ministry of Earth Sciences
*2008: BHASKARA Award of Indian Society of Remote Sensing
*2008: Dr. Y. Nayudamma Memorial Award of the A.P Academy of Sciences
*2009: Social Sciences Award of the International Academy of Astronautics
*2010: Vikram Sarabhai Memorial Award of Indian Science Congress
*2010: Distinguished Alumnus Award of IIT, Kharagpur
*2010: Distinguished Alumnus Award of IIM, Bangalore
*2014: ISRO's Lifetime Achievement Award
*2014: The Allan D. Emil Award of International Astronautical Federation
*2014: Ernst & Young Lifetime Achievement Award
*2014: Technovation-Sarabhai Award of Indian Electronics & Semiconductor Association
*2015: Lifetime Achievent Award of Union Bank of India
*2015: Lifetime Outstanding Innovation Award Indore Management Association
*2015: Bharat Asmita Vigyan Tantragyaan Shreshta
*2015: P.C. Chandra Purashkar for Lifetime Achievement
*2016: Lifetime Achievement Award, Engineers’ Forum, Nagpur
*2017: Global Indian (Science) Award of Times Network
*2018: Qimpro Platinum Standard 2018 (Business)
He has been conferred a doctorate by IIT Kharagpur and honorary doctorates by 12 Indian universities .