Idea of Indian mission to Moon was mooted during Kasturirangan’s tenure as ISRO head
Former President and ‘Missile Man of India’ Dr A P J Abdul Kalam had written in his book, ‘Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power within India’ – “Dream, dream, dream: dreams transform into thoughts, and thoughts result in action.” Former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Dr K Kasturirangan, who passed away last week in Bengaluru, was one such scientist who followed his dream in the field of space science and ensured that the Indian flag got posted in the outer space.
The developed countries, with many achievements to their credit under their respective space missions, frequently considered India a novice in this field. Although the Indian space programme was institutionalised in 1969 – the year when Americans had their men stepping on the moon – it was not until 1975 that the country’s first satellite, Aryabhata was launched into space by ISRO in collaboration with the Soviet Union. Furthermore, it was only a year after Pokhran-II that Dr Kasturirangan while delivering the first National Technology Day lecture in Delhi, slipped in a few slides towards the end of his presentation, when for the first time, the world came to know about ISRO’s outer space dream. Those slides carried early work from ISRO scientists and engineers on how the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) could be used to reach the Moon, Mars and Venus.
The idea of an Indian mission to the Moon was in fact, initially mooted in a meeting of the Indian Academy of Sciences in 1999, during the tenure (1994-2003) of Dr Kasturirangan as the ISRO head, which was subsequently followed up by discussions in the Astronautical Society of India in 2000. The idea received endorsements from policymakers and the scientific community, leading to the government’s approval of the Chandrayaan-1 mission in 2003 within a few months of his retirement. The renowned space scientist would therefore always be remembered for taking the space agency to the uncharted territory of interplanetary missions.
In fact, Dr Kasturirangan always followed aspects apart from the scientific ones, which were the objectives of ISRO such as developing space technology for national benefit and global advancement. The former ISRO chief also used space in the areas of communication, remote sensing, navigation, and exploration, besides the key areas of focus including developing launch vehicles, satellites, and human spaceflight capabilities. During his four-decade career in ISRO, he was part of several key missions. Dr Kasturirangan was the project director of India’s first two experimental earth observation satellites BHASKARA-I & II. He also steered the first operational Indian Remote Sensing satellite IRS-1A. When he served as ISRO chairman, the PSLV was launched and operationalised. Furthermore, the first successful flight testing of the GSLV took place under his leadership.
Post-retirement, Dr Kasturirangan served as a member of the Rajya Sabha and was a member of the Planning Commission. More recently, he chaired the drafting committee for the National Education Policy 2020.
A recipient of Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan, the space scientist too had his share of controversies like the ‘espionage spy scandal,’ wherein ISRO engineer, Nambi Narayanan was indicted and jailed, and alleged misallocation of satellite spectrum to private company, Devas. All said and done, Dr Kasturirangan would be remembered as an ignited mind, who worked to accord India a place of dignity in the space.
