S. Somanath

Sreedhara Panicker Somanath (born July 1963) is an Indian aerospace engineer serving as the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation.[2]

S. Somanath
S. Somanath speaking at 70th International Astronautical Congress
10th Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation
Assumed office
15 January 2022 (2022-01-15)
Preceded byK. Sivan
Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
In office
22 January 2018 – 14 January 2022
Preceded byK. Sivan
Succeeded byS. Unnikrishnan Nair[1]
Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre
In office
1 January 2015 – 23 January 2018
Preceded byK. Sivan
Succeeded byV. Narayanan
Personal details
BornJuly 1963 (age 58)
Thuravoor, Cherthala Alappuzha, Kerala, India
SpouseValsalakumari
Children2
Parents
  • Vedamparambil Sreedhara Panicker
  • Thankamma
Alma mater

Somanath served as the director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram and director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.[3][4] Somanath is known for his contributions to launch vehicle design, particularly in the areas of launch vehicle systems engineering, structural design, structural dynamics, and pyrotechnics.[5][6]

Early life and career

Somanath was born in a Malayali Hindu family as a son of Sreedhara Panicker, a Hindi teacher, and Thankamma in Thuravoor, Kerala.[7]

Somanath did his schooling at St Augustine's High School, Aroor and completed his pre-university program from Maharaja's College, Ernakulam. He received his graduate degree in mechanical engineering from Thangal Kunju Musaliar College of Engineering, Kollam, Kerala University and a master's degree in aerospace engineering from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore with specialization in dynamics and control.

After his graduation, Somanath joined Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in 1985. He was associated with Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle project during its initial phase. He became associate director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and the project director of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III launch vehicle in 2010. He was also the deputy director of the Propulsion and Space Ordinance Entity till November 2014.[5]

In June 2015, he took over as director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre at Valiamala, Thiruvananthapuram and served until January 2018. Somanath took over as director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre from K. Sivan who became chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation. In January 2022, he took over as the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, again succeeding K. Sivan.

In recognition of his contributions to the field of science, Somanath was awarded a Doctorate of Science (Honoris Causa) on 25th September by SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu, on the occasion of the 18th Annual Convocation.[8][9]

References
  1. "Dr.S. Unnikrishnan Nair". Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  2. "Shri. S Somanath assumes charge as Secretary, Department of Space". ISRO. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  3. "Somanath takes charge as VSSC director". www.indiatoday.in. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  4. "Somanath takes charge as VSSC director". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  5. "New Directors for Three Major ISRO Centres: Three major ISRO Centres have new Directors from today". www.isro.gov.in. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  6. Prasanna, Laxmi (22 January 2018). "S Somnath takes charge as Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre's director". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  7. Rajwi, Tiki (16 January 2022). "S. Somanath | At the helm of India's space research". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  8. "SRMIST hosts 18th convocation". 25 September 2022.
  9. "SRM's Mega Convocation for 7380 Graduands".


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.