Honor received by two Indian scientists at Global Space Conference

Anil Bhardwaj (Photo Credit - X/@Bhardwaj_A_2016)

Two Indian space scientists Prahlad Chandra Agrawal and Anil Bhardwaj, received the honour at the Global Space Conference from the prestigious organization  Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) conference in Busan.

With the collaboration of COSPAR and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the medals for the world’s first scientific body dedicated to space science research recognized their outstanding contributions.

A senior space scientist Prahlad Chandra Agrawal is a retired professor at the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

He has received the Harrie Massey Award at the 45th COSPAR Scientific Assembly for their remarkable contribution to space research. The award of Agarwal was presented with medals and citations that included in naming of a minor planet after him as part of the award.

Agrawal is famous for his contribution to his work in X-ray astronomy and has led India’s first multiwavelength astronomy satellite, AstroSat, launched in 2015 and is still operational. He was also involved Chandrayaan-1 mission.

The other scientist Anil Bhardwaj director of the Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), was honoured with the Vikram Sarabhai Medal, for his contribution to the country's space science research expansion.

Since 2017, Bhardwaj has served as PRL's director. He specializes in solar system exploration and planetary space sciences. He has participated in the majority of ISRO's significant scientific missions, including Aditya-L1, Chandrayaan, and Mangalyaan.

The Dr Vikram Sarabhai Medal honours the memory of the visionary scientist who laid the groundwork for India's space program. The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) collaborated to create this award. The medal is given to recognize exceptional achievements made by developing nations in space exploration.

Candidates who qualify, such as Anil Bhardwaj, have primarily carried out remarkable research in the five years leading up to the COSPAR Scientific Assembly, those people are awarded this medal. Several important awards were given to deserving space scientists and researchers at the 45th COSPAR Scientific Assembly.