Top French civilian honour for Isro scientist VR Lalithambika

HE Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India, on Tuesday conferred the top French civilian honour of Légion d’Honneur on Dr VR Lalithambika. 

Lalithambika is a scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and former director, Directorate of the Human Spaceflight Programme, Isro. She was awarded for her contribution to space cooperation between France and India.

A specialist in advanced launch vehicle technology, Lalithambika has worked extensively on various Isro rockets, particularly the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

In 2018, as director of the Human Spaceflight Programme, she coordinated closely with the French National Space Agency for India’s Gaganyaan project. Lalithambika was instrumental in the signing of the first joint agreement for cooperation between CNES and Isro on human spaceflight, under which the two countries could exchange specialists to work on space medicine.

In 2021, Lalithambika coordinated with CNES for the signing of a second agreement between France and India on the Indian astronaut programme during the visit of the former French Foreign Affairs Minister to Isro, Bengaluru.

Under this agreement, the French space agency would train India's flight physicians and CAPCOM mission control teams in France at the CADMOS centre for the development of microgravity applications and space operations at CNES in Toulouse and at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany.