Dr.Kasturirangan

Born on October 24, 1940 in Ernakulam district, Dr. Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan was one of the pioneers who were instrumental in boosting India’s space programme to dizzy heights.

Presently Honourable Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Dr.Rangan was earlier the Director of ISRO Satellite Centre. Here, he supervised the activities related to the development of new generation spacecraft INSAT-2 and IRS-1A &1B, as well as scientific satellites. He was the Project Director of India’s first two experimental earth observation satellites, BHASKARA-1 & II, and was responsible for overall direction of the first operational Indian Remote Sensing Satellite, IRS-1A. Under his leadership as Chairman, ISRO witnessed several major milestones including the successful launching and operation of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the first successful flight testing of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). Dr. Rangan has also overseen the design, development and launching of the world’s best civilian satellites. These efforts have placed India as a pre-eminent member among the handful of nations having major space programmes.

Dr.Kasturirangan graduated in Science with Honours, and obtained his Master of Science degree in Physics, from Bombay University. He received his Doctorate Degree in Experimental High Energy Astronomy in 1971, working at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad.

As an Astrophysicist, Dr.Kasturirangan's interest included research in high energy X-ray and gamma ray astronomy as well as optical astronomy. He has made extensive and significant contributions to studies of Cosmic x-ray sources, celestial gamma-ray and effect of cosmic x-rays in the lower atmosphere.

Dr. Kasturirangan is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy and National Academy of Sciences of India. He is also a member of the International Astronomical Union and the International Academy of Astronautics. Dr. Rangan has been conferred Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan besides several other prestigious awards. He has published more than 200 papers on astronomy, space science and space applications. For good measure, he has also served as Secretary to the Govt. of India in the Department of Space before laying down his office on August 27, 2003.

Dr.Kasturirangan has chaired some of the most prestigious international committees, such as the International Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), Panel for Space Research in Developing countries of COSPAR/ICSU, and the committee meeting at senior official level of UN-ESCAP, that led to the adoption of the "Delhi Declaration" by the Ministers of the region (1999-2000). He is also the Chairman of the Governing Board of the UN Centre for Space Science & Technology Education (UN-CSSTE), of the Board of Governors of IIT Chennai, of the Governing Council of the Raman Research Institute and Research Council of the National Aerospace Laboratory. He has won several awards including Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Engineering, Shri Hari Om Ashram Dr.Vikram Sarabhai Prerit Award in Aerospace, M.P.Birla Memorial Award in Astronomy, Shri M.M.Chugani Memorial Award in Applied Science, H.K.Firodia Award in Science Technology, Rathindra Puraskar by Visvabharati, Santiniketan, Dr.M.N.Saha Birth Centenary Medal for outstanding contributions in the field of Space.

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Space Technology Can Help Ailing Agri Sector: Kasturirangan

26 January 2007

Calling for a national policy to use remote sensing to help agriculture sector, former ISRO Chairman K Kasturirangan said space technology can be used to improve land productivity. There is an alarming situation in agriculture production. But space technologies can be used to improve land productivity, he said while inaugurating a national symposium on Application of Space Technologies for Agricultural Development here.

Later talking to reporters, he said a national policy is needed to use remote sensing for agriculture and disaster management.

"ISRO has very well developed prototypes and the capabilities have been demonstrated but it is now for the concerned ministries to integrate them and put them to use," Kasturirangan, who is also Director of the Institute of Advanced Studies, said.

"This is not the job of ISRO but concerned ministries which can pick up threads of these prototypes and put them to use," he opined.

There are several dimensions for the use of space technologies and we are looking at facilitators of agriculture like land, water, seeds etc, he said.

Currently, ISRO in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture has made a facility to predict harvest of 14 crops using space technology.

Centres have been established in state and district levels with the facility, Forecasting Agriculture Production through Space Agro Meteorology and Land (FASAL).

More crops are now being considered to be brought under FASAL, Kasturirangan added.



Dr.Kasturirangan's biodata at ISRO

India's Space Enterprise : A Case Study in Strategic Thinking and Planning -Dr. Kasturirangan's 2006 Narayanan Oration at the Australia South Asia Research Centre (ASARC)

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