• By Mayukh Debnath
  • Wed, 23 Aug 2023 10:36 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday created history as it became the first space agency to successfully land a lunar probe on the Moon's South Pole. With this, India also became the fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon, after the US, Russia (erstwhile USSR), and China.

The latest achievement by ISRO displayed not only the space agency's technical competence, but also its resilience in wake of the failed landing of Chandrayaan-2's lander in 2019.

The failure of Chandrayaan-2's lander to safely touchdown on the Moon became etched in the memories of millions of Indians, with the visual of then-ISRO chief K Sivan breaking down being a heart-breaking moment for people across the nation.

However, back then, the space scientist did not know how his dedication to his job would one day prove instrumental in India realising the dream that remained unfulfilled with him at the helm of ISRO.

Expressing his delight ahead of the Vikram lander's successful touchdown, Sivan had said, "We are really excited. "We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. I am very happy," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Who is K Sivan?

K Sivan (full name Kailasavadivoo Sivan) served as Chairman Of India's Space Commission and of the ISRO from January 2018 to January 2022. His journey with the premier space exploration body began in 1982 and. He was subsequently inducted into the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) Project.

The former ISRO chief's professional acumen:

- His specialisation lies in aerospace engineering, space transportation systems engineering, launch vehicle and mission design.

- Other areas of the former ISRO chief's expertise include mission synthesis, simulation, analysis, validation of flight systems, control & guidance design, and mission simulation software design.

Sivan's contribution to making India a force to be reckoned with in space:

- One of his most notable contribution's towards India's efforts in space and lunar mission exploration include the strategies adopted in mission design that ensured the consistent performance of ISRO's PSLV.

The PSLV's development is also believed to have been a good foundation for other launch vehicles, including the GSLV MkIII (LVMIII), which was used to launch Chandrayaan-3 on July 14 this year.

- Sivan is also credited with being the 'chief architect' of SITARA, a 6D trajectory simulation software used by ISRO. The space agency describes it as "the backbone of the real-time and non-real-time trajectory simulations of all ISRO launch vehicles".

- He was also behind the commissioning of a state-of-the-art simulation facility in ISRO for mission synthesis and analysis, which is used for mission design, sub-system level validation and integrated validation of avionics systems in all of ISRO's payload carriers.

- The 'day-of launch wind biasing strategy', an innovative method that enables all-weather rocket launches, is the brain child of the ex-ISRO head. He also oversaw its implemenation.

- Sivan was the 'chief mission architect' of the ISRO mission that witnessed a PSLV launch vehicle simultaneously carry 104 satellites to space.

List of awards & honours received by the former ISRO chief:

- Shri Hari Om Ashram Prerit Dr.Vikram Sarabhai Research Award, 1999

- ISRO Merit Award, 2007

- Dr Biren Roy Space Science and/or Design Award, 2011

- Distinguished Alumnus Award from MIT Alumni Association, 2013

- ISRO award for outstanding achievement in 2016

- Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT-Bombay, 2017

 

 

(With inputs from ANI)