Dr. S. Somanath

Dr. S. Somanath is a distinguished space scientist with a career spanning nearly 40 years in launch vehicle systems engineering. He served as ISRO Chairman and Secretary of the Department of Space through January 2025.

He oversaw the historic Chandrayaan-3 lunar south-pole landing, established India's National Space Policy, and directed Space Vision-2047 — including the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme and the Bharatiya Antariksha Station. He previously directed the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.

He is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering, an IAF Hall of Fame inductee, and recipient of the Von Kármán Award. He currently serves as Vikram Sarabhai Professor at ISRO and Chancellor of Chanakya University.