'Clear road map for Chandrayaan-4, Gaganyan mission': New ISRO chief V Narayanan shares his vision

Dr V Narayanan will succeed S Somanath, who will complete his three-year tenure next week, for a two-year term.

Rocket Scientist Dr V Narayanan, who has been appointed the new chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has termed his new stint “a great responsibility”.

In an interview with CNN-News18, the Chandrayaan-3 propulsion architect shared his vision, motivation, and insights.

Narayanan exuded confidence in India’s upcoming space missions, “I was so happy. I know it is a great responsibility. We have a clear road map for Chandrayaan-4, Gaganyan mission, Venus orbital mission, and others,” he said.

Dr Narayanan will succeed S Somanath, who will complete his three-year tenure next week, for a two-year term.

The IIT-Karagpur Alumnus, who will take charge on January 14, expressed faith in his team members to get the job done together.

Narayanan, a distinguished Scientist at the ISRO, has nearly four decades of experience and has held various key positions within the Indian space organisation. He said he continued to draw inspiration from her seniors and super seniors such as S Somanath and Vikram Sarabhai. He shared that he hadn’t expected to get selected for the top role.

“When we join, we don’t look at these positions. We just work hard and give our best effort. To be frank, I didn’t even imagine that I would be in such a position,” he told CNN-News18.

He said he aimed to see his nation develop. “Basically, the country needs a lot of things in terms of climate studies, disaster management system, communication requirements, satellites for communication, and earth observation,” said

“We are striving to improve the quality of the citizens. ISRO has been contributing in a big way and we will continue this contribution,” Narayanan said.

Narayanan’s wife, Dr Kavitha, and his daughter Divya told CNN-News18 that they were super proud. “As his wife, I am so proud. Thank God and all Indians because ISRO is a family. We often have science-related discussions at home,” said Kavitha.

Narayanan’s exceptional work has earned him numerous accolades, including the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Kharagpur in 2018 and an Honorary Doctorate of Science (D.Sc) from Sathyabama University, Chennai, in 2017.

He is a fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) and serves as a member of several national and international space and engineering bodies, such as the International Astronautical Federation’s Space Propulsion Committee.

He has also been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Silver Medal from IIT Kharagpur for his first rank in MTech, the Gold Medal from the Astronautical Society of India (ASI), and the National Design Award in 2019. Furthermore, Narayanan has published over 1,200 internal reports and 50 journal/conference papers and contributed to several books.