Udupi Ramachandra Rao (10 March 1932 – 24 July 2017) was an Indian space scientist and former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation. He was also the Chairman of the Governing Council of the

Physical Research Laboratory The Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) is a National Research Institute for space and allied sciences, supported mainly by Department of Space, Government of India. This research laboratory has ongoing research programmes in astronomy and astrop ...

at Ahmedabad and Nehru Planetarium at Bengaluru and chancellor of the Indian Institute for Space Science and Technology ( IIST) at

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

. He is known as "''The Satellite Man of India''". He pioneered India's first satellite launch

Aryabhata Aryabhata ( ISO: ) or Aryabhata I (476–550 CE) was an Indian mathematician and astronomer of the classical age of Indian mathematics and Indian astronomy. He flourished in the Gupta Era and produced works such as the ''Aryabhatiya'' (which ...

in 1975. Rao was awarded 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 ...

by the Government of India in 1976, and

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...

in 2017. He was inducted into the Satellite Hall of Fame, Washington, on 19 March 2013 at a ceremony organised by the

Society of Satellite Professionals International The Society of Satellite Professionals International or SSPI is a nonprofit organization, made up of members who worked as professionals in the satellite industry throughout their careers. Its headquarters are in New York City ...

. With this he became the first Indian to be inducted. He was also to be inducted in International Astronautics Federation (IAF) on 15 May 2016. He was again the first Indian to achieve such a feat.

Early life

U. R. Rao was born into a Madhwa

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

family at

Adamaru Adamaru or Adamaar is a village in the Udupi district of the state of Karnataka, India. The village houses one of the Ashta Mathas founded by Shri Madhvacharya, the Dvaita philosopher. The village can be reached by taking a left turn at Yermal ...

in the state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. His parents were Lakshminarayana Acharya and Krishnaveni Amma. He had his primary education at Adamaru. He completed his secondary education from Christian High School, Udupi. He completed his B.Sc. in Government Arts and Science College, Anantpur, M.Sc. from Banaras Hindu University and Ph.D. at Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad under the guidance of

Vikram Sarabhai Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai (12 August 1919 – 30 December 1971) was an Indian physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped develop nuclear power in India. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1966 and the Padma Vibhushan ...

.Prof. U. R. Rao was married to Mrs. Yashoda Rao.

Education

*Ph.D. –

Gujarat University The Gujarat University is a public state university located at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The university is an affiliating university at the under-graduate level and a teaching university at the postgraduate level. It is accredited B++ by NA ...

, 1960 *M.Sc. –

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU) IAST: kāśī hindū viśvavidyālaya IPA: /kaːʃiː hɪnd̪uː ʋɪʃwəʋid̪jaːləj/), is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916 ...

, 1954 *B.Sc. –

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

, 1952 After working as a post doctoral associate at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

and Assistant Professor at

University of Texas at Dallas The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD or UT Dallas) is a public research university in Richardson, Texas. It is one of the largest public universities in the Dallas area and the northernmost institution of the University of Texas system. It w ...

where he carried out investigations as a prime experimenter on a number of

Pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and de ...

and

Explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

spacecraft, Rao returned to India in 1966 as a professor at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad.

Career

Rao started his career as a cosmic ray scientist and worked under Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, which he continued at MIT. In association with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory group, he was the first to establish the continuous nature of the solar wind and its effect on geomagnetism using Mariner 2 observations. Rao's experiments on a number of Pioneer and Explorer spacecraft led to a complete understanding of the solar cosmic-ray phenomena and the electromagnetic state of the interplanetary space. Convinced of the imperative need to use space technology for rapid development, Rao undertook the responsibility for the establishment of satellite technology in India in 1972. Under his guidance, beginning with the first Indian satellite "Aryabhata" in 1975, over 18 satellites including Bhaskara, APPLE, Rohini, INSAT-1 and INSAT-2 series of multipurpose satellites and the

IRS-1A IRS-1A, Indian Remote Sensing satellite-1A, the first of the series of indigenous state-of-art remote sensing satellites, was successfully launched into a polar Sun-synchronous orbit on 17 March 1988 from the Soviet Cosmodrome at Baikonur. IRS- ...

and

IRS-1B IRS-1B, Indian Remote Sensing satellite-1B, the second of the series of indigenous state-of-art remote sensing satellites, was successfully launched into a polar Sun-synchronous orbit on 29 August 1991 from the Soviet Cosmodrome at Baikonur. IR ...

remote sensing satellites were designed, fabricated and launched for providing communication, remote sensing, and meteorological services.

As Chairman of ISRO

After taking charge as Chairman, Space Commission and Secretary, Department of Space in 1985, Rao accelerated the development of rocket technology resulting in the successful launch of ASLV rocket in 1992. He was also responsible for the development of the operational PSLV launch vehicle, which successfully launched an 850 kg. satellite into a polar orbit in 1995. Rao initiated the development of the geostationary launch vehicle GSLV and the development of cryogenic technology in 1991. He was responsible for successful launch of

INSAT The Indian National Satellite System or INSAT, is a series of multipurpose geostationary satellites launched by ISRO to satisfy the telecommunications, broadcasting, meteorology, and search and rescue operations. Commissioned in 1983, INSAT i ...

satellites during his stint at ISRO. The launch of INSAT satellites gave a thrust to communications in India, during the 1980s and 1990s. The successful launch of INSAT provided telecommunication links to remote corners of India. During these decades fixed telephone (called as landline) expanded throughout country due to availability of satellite links at different places in the ground. People could talk easily from anywhere by use of STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialing) instead of waiting for hours to get the connection. This development played a key role in future for India to develop as an Information Technology hub. He was the first Chairman of Antrix Corporation. He received the Padma Bhushan in 1976. He was the first Indian Space Scientist to be allowed into the Prestigious “Satellite Hall of Fame” at Washington DC, USA in recent past on March 19, 2013.

Additional responsibilities

Rao was an elected Fellow of many academies such as Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineers, International Academy of Astronautics and Third World Academy of Sciences. Rao was conferred Fellowship of the World Academy of Arts & Sciences. He was the General President of the Indian Science Congress Association for 1995-96. Rao was the Vice President of International Astronautical Federation (IAF) during 1984 to 1992 and continues to be the Chairman of the Committee for Liaison with Developing Countries (CLIODN) since 1986. Rao was elected as the Chairman of United Nations - Committee On Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-COPUOS) in June 1997 and also Chairman of UNISPACE-III Conference. He was elected as the Chairman of the 30th International Antarctic Treaty Consultative Committee Meeting at Delhi in April 2007. He was the Co-Chairman of the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Goa. He was the first chairman of

Prasar Bharati Prasar Bharati (abbreviated as PB; Hindi: ''Praśar Bharati'', lit. Indian Broadcaster) is India's state-owned public broadcaster, headquartered in New Delhi. It is a statutory autonomous body set up by an Act of Parliament and comprises the ...

. Rao was the Fourth President of the Governing Body of the Centre for Space Physics in 2007. While the President, he changed its name to Indian Centre for Space Physics in recognition to its National importance. Other positions held by Rao in India include : * Chairman,

Karnataka Science and Technology Academy The Karnataka Science and Technology Academy (KSTA) is an organization established in 2005 to promote science and technology-related activities in the Indian State of Karnataka. It functions under the Department of Science and Technology of the ...

* Chairman, Bangalore Association of Science Education-JNP * Chancellor, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow * Member, Central Board of Directors, Reserve Bank of India * Additional Director, Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Ltd., Bangalore * Chairman, Governing Council of Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune

Awards

He was the recipient of many national and international awards, such as : ;National Awards *1975 Karnataka Rajyotsava Award *1975 Hari Om Vikram Sarabhai Award *1975 ''Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award'' in the Space science & technology field *1976

*1980 National Design Award *1980 ''Vasvik Research Award'' in the Electronic Sciences & Technology field *1983 Karnataka Rajyotsava Award *1987 PC Mahalnobis Medal *1993 ''Om Prakash Bhasin Award'' in the Energy & Aerospace field *1993 Meghnad Saha Medal *1994 P.C. Chandra Puraskar Award *1994 ''Electronics Man of the Year Award'' by ELCINA *1995 Zaheer Hussain Memorial Award *1995 Aryabhata Award *1995 Jawaharhal Nehru Award *1996 SK Mitra Birth Centenary Gold Medal *1997 Yudhvir Foundation Award *1997 Rabindranath Tagore Award of Viswa Bharati University *1999 ''Gujar Mal Modi Award'' for Science & Technology *2001 Nadoja Award from Kannada University, Hampi *2001 ''Life Time Contribution Award in Engineering'' of INAE *2002 Sir M. Visvesvaraya Memorial Award *2003 Press Bureau of India Award *2004 Star of India Award from Vishwabharathy Foundation, Hyderabad *2004 Special Award 2004, Karnataka Media Academy *2005 Bharat Ratna Rajiv Gandhi Outstanding Leadership Award *2007 Life Time Achievement Award of Indian Space Research Organisation *2007 Distinguished Scientist Gold Medal of the Karnataka Science & Technology Academy. *2007 ''Vishwamanava Award'' by Vishwamanava Samsthe *2007 A.V. Rama Rao Technology Award *2008 Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award for 2007-2008 from ISCA *2017

;International Awards *1973 Group Achievement Award by NASA, USA *1975 Medal of Honour by Academy of Sciences, USSR *1991

Yuri Gagarin Medal Yuri may refer to: People and fictional characters Given name *Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. *Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine Jap ...

of USSR *1992 Allan D Emil Award on International Cooperation *1994 Frank J Malina Award (International Astronautical Federation) *1996 Vikram Sarabhai Medal of COSPAR *1997 Outstanding Book Award of the International Academy of Astronautics for the Book Space Technology for Sustainable Development *2000 Eduard Dolezal Award of ISPRS *2004 Space News magazine named him as one of the Top 10 International personalities who have made a substantial difference in civil, commerce and military space in the world since 1989 *2005 Theodore Von Karman Award which is the highest Award of the International Academy of Astronautics. *2013 Inducted into Satellite Hall of Fame by

' *2016 Inducted into Hall of Fame by International Astronautical Federation.

Honours

People's President and distinguished scientist Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam had an effective association with Prof. U. R. Rao. While Dr. A.P. J. Abdul Kalam was President, he presented the Life Time Achievement Award constituted by ISRO and Astronautical Society of India (ASI) to Prof. Rao for his outstanding contribution to the organization. D. Litt. (Hon. Causa) from Kannada University, Hampi D.Sc (Hons. Causa) from the Universities of: *1976 Mysore *1976 Rahuri *1981 Calcutta *1984 Mangalore *1992 University of Bologna (Italy) *1992 Banaras *1992 Udaipur *1993 Tirupati (SV) *1994 Hyderabad (JN) *1994 Madras (Anna University) *1994 Roorkee University *1995 Punjabi University, Patiala *1997 Shri Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur *1999 Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad *2001 D.Litt. (Hons. Causa) from Kannada University, Hampi *2002 Ch. Charan Singh University, Meerut *2005 UP Technical University, Lucknow *2006 Viswesvaraiah Technical University, Belgaum *2007 Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi

Legacy

On March 10, 2021, a

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was made in honor of his 89th birthday.

Fellowships / Memberships

*Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences *Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy *Fellow of National Science Academy *Fellow of Third World Academy of Sciences *Fellow of the International Academy of Astronautics *Fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering *Fellow of the Astronautical Society of India *Hon. Fellow of the Aeronautical Society *Distinguished Fellow Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers *Hon. Fellow of Indian National Cartographic Association *Fellow of Broadcasting and Engineering Society of India *Hon. Fellow Aero Medical Society of India *Distinguished Fellow of Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad *Fellow of World Academy of Arts & Sciences, USA. * Fellow of International Aeronautical Federation (IAF) proposed.

Professional Activities in International Arena

*1986-1992 Vice President, International Astronautical Federation *1988 to date President, Committee for Liaison with Developing Nations (CLODIN) of IAF *1997-2000 Chairman, UN-COPUOS (United Nations - Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space) *1999 President, UNISPACE-III Conference *2007 Chairman, 30th International Antarctic Treaty Consultative Committee Meeting Other roles * President of UNISPACE III Conference, Vienna, in 1979 * Led Indian Delegation in COPUOS and S&T Sub Committee of COPUOS from 1980 to 1994, UNISPACE-II in 1982 and President UNISPACE-III in 2000. * Chairman of the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (1996–1999)

Books authored

*U. R. Rao, K. Kasturirangan, K. R. Sridhara Murthi. and Surendra Pal (Editors), "Perspectives in Communications", World Scientific (1987). *U. R. Rao, "Space and Agenda 21 - Caring for Planet Earth", Prism Books Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore (1995). *U. R. Rao, "Space Technology for Sustainable Development", Tata McGraw-Hill Pub., New Delhi (1996)

References

External links

Interview with Astrotalkuk.org "ISRO the Early Years" August 2013

Prof. Udupi Ramachandra Rao (1984-1994)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, U.R. 1932 births 2017 deaths 20th-century Indian physicists Space programme of India University of Madras alumni Indian Space Research Organisation people People from Udupi district Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering Mangaloreans Indian space scientists Tulu people Scientists from Karnataka Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in science & engineering Fellows of the Indian National Academy of Engineering Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy Fellows of The National Academy of Sciences, India TWAS fellows Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Engineering Science