Who Is V Narayanan? All You Need To Know About New ISRO Chief Who Will Succeed S Somanath

The Union government on Tuesday announced the appointment of V Narayanan as the new chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation and secretary, Department of Space. Narayanan, director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, will succeed S Somanath as ISRO chief, and assume office on Jan. 14.

“The appointments committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri V. Narayanan, Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Valiamala, as Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Space Commission for a period of two years with effect from 14.01.2025, or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” as per an official order.

The Secretary of the Department of Space also serves as the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation.

Here is what we know about the new ISRO chief.

V Narayanan is a distinguished scientist, and rocket and spacecraft propulsion expert.

The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, which he currently heads, is involved in the development of liquid, semi-cryogenic, and cryogenic propulsion stages and control systems. These systems are used for launch vehicles, chemical and electric propulsion systems for satellites, and transducers for health monitoring.

Narayanan’s contribution helped position India as one of only six countries in the world with advanced, high-performance cryogenic propulsion systems, ensuring self-reliance in this field.

He also serves as chairman of Programme Management Council - Space Transportation Systems, the organisation that makes decisions in the launch of vehicle projects and programmes. As chairman of the Gaganyaan Certification Board, Narayanan contributed to the certification process of various systems for India’s maiden human space flight.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Narayanan has over 40 years of experience in key positions of the Indian space organisation. He did his MTech in Cryogenic Engineering from IIT Kharagpur and received a gold medal. Thereafter, he earned his Ph.D in aerospace engineering. He has received as many as 25 awards throughout his career.

Narayanan has published a large number of technical papers, including 1,200 internal ISRO reports, 50 journal and conference papers and a few book chapters.