G. Madhavan Nair

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G Madhavan Nair is the current Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation and Secretary of Department of Space.

Sri Madhavan Nair graduated in Engineering from the Kerala University in 1966 and joined Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in 1967. He was closely associated with the development of the first Indian Satellite Launch Vehicle - SLV-3. Later, as Project Director, he led the development of India's first operational launch vehicle, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). With seven successful flights so far, PSLV has become operational. He led the Space Research in the areas of System Design, Avionics, Integration and Checkout and multi-disciplinary areas.

As Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Center during 1995-99, Sri Madhavan Nair contributed to the indigenous research and development of liquid propulsion technologies including the cryogenic engine. From 1999 till he took over the present position, Sri Madhavan Nair was the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC), Thiru-vananthapuram. VSSC is the largest Center of ISRO with about six thousand employees working in various engineering and scientific disciplines. In the role of Director, he led the development of India's Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle - GSLV capable of orbiting 2000 kg class of satellites into GTO, which had its successful flight in the very first attempt. He was also responsible for charting the road map for future development of ISRO's activities as Member of Space Commission.

Within the first two months of taking over as Chairman-ISRO, Sri Madhavan Nair saw three successful missions - launch of communication satellite, INSAT-3E, and the launch of RESORCESAT-1, the most advanced remote sensing satellite built by ISRO so far, on board indigenous PSLV-C5. He led the Indian Delegations in the bilateral cooperation negotiations with many Space agencies and Countries, especially with USA, Russia, Brazil, and had been instrumental in working out mutually beneficial international cooperation agreements.

Sri Madhavan Nair has led the Indian delegation to the S&T Sub-committee of United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-COPUOS) since 1998. He had also been a Member / Leader of the Indian Delegation to the COPUOS Sessions since 1999. He has played a significant role in the drafting and negotiating the Vienna Declaration, the main outcome of UNISPACE-III. He had initiated and successfully introduced the subjects of Disaster Management and Telemedicine into the agenda of S&T Sub-committee. He encouraged the technical activities related to all facets of Space Debris within ISRO, and successfully introduced end-of-the-mission passivation in both main launch vehicles of ISRO. His main focus had always been to bring the benefits of Space technology to the National Development, specially benefiting the rural and needy sections of the society.

He is the Chairman of the Governing Board of the UN Center for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (CSSTE-AP) and Chairman of the Programme Council of Astronautical Society of India. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering.

Among the awards that Sri Madhavan Nair has received, the prominent among them include Om Prakash Bhasin Award; Swadeshi Sastra Puraskar Award; FIE Foundation Award and Vikram Sarabhai Memorial Gold Medal of the Indian Science Congress. He has received Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) from the Punjab Technical University and Sri Venkateswara University (AP).

Government of India conferred highly coveted award "Padma Bhushan" on Sri Madhavan Nair in 1998 in recognition of his services to the Country and Society.

SOURCE: http://www.isro.org/mnair/index.htm