New ISRO chief interview: ‘We will have 3 uncrewed missions (before humans can go to space), of which first may be this year’

The ISRO chief was surprised to be greeted by nearly 600 people, who had gathered to celebrate his successes. Just before taking over as the chairperson of India’s space agency, Dr V Narayanan visited the temple in his hometown, a small village called Melakattuvilai in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district. He was surprised to be greeted by nearly 600 people, who had gathered to celebrate his successes. Hailing from a farming family, he studied under the light of kerosene lamps till the ninth standard, when his house was first electrified. He excelled in all his examinations, going on to become one of the people who built the country’s cryogenic engine programme from scratch. From the design board to the first flight, his team holds the record for the fastest development of a cryogenic engine. This engine continues to power India’s heaviest launch vehicle, LVM3, which will also carry Indian astronauts to space.

On the day he would have completed seven years as the director of ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Narayanan spoke to The Indian Express about his journey and the space agency’s key upcoming missions.

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Could you tell us a little about your journey to the top of India’s space agency?

I come from a very humble background. It was a great blessing that my parents gave me the opportunity to continue my education at a time when most children from my village used to drop out much earlier. Of course, I was doing well academically and even secured the first rank in my school. My father then asked somebody what I should be doing next. They said that a diploma from the polytechnic college was sure to get me a job. After joining the course, I realised that I should have gone for an engineering course. Nonetheless, I continued studying and again secured the first rank. I was also fortunate to get a campus appointment. But then I had to decide whether to join the job or continue my education. While my father wanted me to continue my studies, there was a problem of finances, so I took the job. I was upset though.

 It was a great blessing that my parents gave me the opportunity to continue my education at a time when most children from my village used to drop out much earlier.

So, when did you realise that aerospace engineering was your calling?

I was just trying to get a government job. I started out at TI Cycles, then Madras Rubber Factory, and finally Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, before joining ISRO. Once I joined ISRO, however, I thought I must complete my engineering at the earliest. By God’s grace, I was able to complete my PhD from IIT Kharagpur and start my journey with the cryogenic programme.

And what about the launch pad?

Today, we have two launch pads...To enhance the launch capability, we need to have another launch pad. Also, if something happens to this launch pad, we do not have anything else. We would also require a launch pad for the upcoming NGLV. Plus, the Prime Minister has already given directions for a crewed mission to the moon for which we need a new launch pad. So, in all the way, we need to have one more launch pad.

Another exciting mission for ISRO is the first human spaceflight. Where are we when it comes to the Gaganyaan mission?

Right now, I can say, the human rating of the vehicle is almost complete. We have done enough tests for all three stages of the launch vehicle. Then, we have done a couple of tests with respect to the crew escape system, but a lot more tests have to be done. As for the environment control and life support system, 600 to 700 control components have been acquired, such as pressure controls, temp controls, humidity controls. Work is also ongoing on the vehicle health monitoring system. If anything happens to the launch vehicle, it will automatically trigger the crew escape system. Of course, humans cannot be sent in the very first mission, so we will have three uncrewed missions, of which the first may be scheduled for this year, maybe in the second quarter.

What would be the next priority areas for ISRO?

We have been given a clear roadmap already. The 100th launch of ISRO is planned for later this month. It would be of NVS-02, the second satellite in the second generation of navigation satellites. Then, a PSLV completely manufactured by the industry is also in the final phase. We are going to have a launch of that. Then, of course, there are a lot of requirements for satellites in the country in terms of communication, navigation, and earth observation.