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Udupi Ramachandra Rao, popularly known as U.R.Rao (Kannada:ಉಡುಪಿ ರಾಮಚಂದ್ರ ರಾವ್) is a space scientist and former director of the Indian Space Research Organisation. He is a native of Udupi district in state of Karnataka. He had his primary education at Adamaru and later in Mysore. He was responsible for successful launch of INSAT satellites during his stint at ISRO. The launch of INSAT satellites gave a thrust to communications in India, during the 1980s and 1990s. The successful launch of INSAT provided telecommunication links to remote corners of India. During these decades fixed telephone (called as landline) expanded throughout country due to availability of satellite links at different places in the ground. People could talk easily from anywhere by use of STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialing) instead of waiting for hours to get the connection. This development played a key role in future for India to develop as an Information Technology hub. He is presently the President of the Council of Management of the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad. He is currently one of the directors of Reserve Bank of India.
[edit] Recognition
In the year 2004, Space News weekly ranked Prof U R Rao among the top ten international personalities who have made a difference in civil, commerce and military space in the world since 1989. [1]
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