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Space scientist U R Rao passes away

Last Updated 24 July 2017, 20:18 IST
Renowned space scientist Prof U R Rao, who played a major role in the transition of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from experimental to operational era, passed away on Monday.

Udupi Ramachandra Rao, 85, was suffering from age-related health issues. He died at 3 am at his Indiranagar residence. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Rao’s body was kept at Isro Satellite Centre for the public to pay final respects till the afternoon. The final rites were held at Hebbal crematorium in the evening. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, scientists and Rao’s colleagues from Isro and others paid their last respects. Rao served as the fourth chairman of ISRO from 1984 to 1994, during which Indian space technology achieved major milestones.

Hailing from Adamaru, a small village near Udupi, Rao studied in Udupi and Ballari before moving to Anantapur and then to Varanasi for university education. He quit his job as a lecturer to work under Vikram Sarabhai for PhD, which marked the beginning of his illustrious career.

After finishing his post doctorate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he worked in the US briefly before returning to India to join the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, on the invitation of Sarabhai. Soon, Rao was put in the Satellite Systems Division, where the blueprint for India’s satellite technology was drawn.

From communication to remote sensing satellites and from launch vehicles to cryogenic technology, Rao’s work earned recognition for ISRO and brought him laurels, including the rare honour of Satellite Hall of Fame conferred by Society of Satellite Professionals International in Washington, US. As chairman of the advisory committee, Rao continued to guide ISRO in all its efforts, including Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan projects. 

Siddaramaiah condoled the death of Rao, in a message which remembered the contribution of the great scientist. “The launch of the communication satellite ended the era of trunk calls where one had to wait for three hours to make a phone call. Rao’s foresight helped the spread of information technology across the country,” he said.

“Saddened by the demise of renowned scientist Prof U R Rao. His remarkable contribution to India’s space programme will never be forgotten,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement.

ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar said Rao's demise is definitely a loss for all. “His contribution to space science and area space technology and application of that science has been phenomenal considering that he continued to engage with stakeholders and served on United Nations corpus. His influence transcends beyond space technology,” he said.
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(Published 24 July 2017, 02:51 IST)

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