Kasturirangan steered India's space projects

Former chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation Dr Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan (84) passed away at his residence in Bengaluru around 10.43 am, after a prolonged illness.

- BALA CHAUHAN @Bengaluru

Former chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation Dr Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan (84) passed away at his residence in Bengaluru around 10.43 am, after a prolonged illness. His body will be kept at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in the city, between 10 am and 12 noon on Sunday, for people to pay their last respects.

Paying homage to his mentor, former chairman, ISRO, S Somanath said he was "mesmerized" by Dr Kasturirangan, who had succeeded Dr UR Rao as ISRO chairman in 1992. "He played a pivotal role in the development of the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), and mentored us throughout," said Somanath. He recalled Kasturirangan congratulating him and the team at ISRO on the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3 on August 23, 2023, with which India became the first country in the world to land on the Moon's hitherto unexplored south pole. "He was there all along, and knew the complexities of the Chandrayaan programme," he added.