Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) Chairman K Radhakrishnan on Wednesday ended his three-decade-long career in the space agency, riding high on the success of the Mars orbiter mission and GSLV-Mk-III that carried a human crew module to the space.
Space scientist Shailesh Nayak, secretary in the ministry of the earth sciences has been given an additional charge of Isro for a month till a regular appointment is made, says the department of personnel and training in an order. A graduate from Kerala University and a PhD from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Radhakrishnan took over as Isro chairman on October 31, 2009.
A year later, sitting in the mission control room of Sriharikota launch pad, Radhakrishnan watched in horror as the geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV-F06) with GSAT-5P satellite exploded in the air, minutes after lift-off. It was India’s biggest set back in space science.
But the space scientist, who is also a trained Kathakali dancer and devotional singer ended his career with a high, thanks to the double success that came in close succession in the last four months.
Radhakrishnan was also adjudged one of the world’s top 10 scientists in 2014, by “Nature”, one of the world’s leading science journals.
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