Ex- ISRO Chief K. Kasturirangan Passes Away at 84

Former ISRO Chairman K. Kasturirangan passed away at his residence in Bengaluru on Friday at 10:43 am, according to an ISRO statement. His body will be available for public viewing at the Raman Research Institute in Bengaluru on Sunday, April 27, from 10 am to noon.

Kasturirangan led ISRO, the Space Commission, and the Department of Space for over nine years, stepping down on August 27, 2003. Under his leadership, ISRO made significant strides towards self-reliance, planning major missions such as Chandrayaan. He also served as the Project Director for India's first Earth observation satellites, Bhaskara I and II, and oversaw key milestones like the PSLV and GSLV launches.

Recognised as the architect of the National Education Policy (NEP), he held prominent positions such as the chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University and chairman of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission. Kasturirangan was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2003 to 2009 and also served on the Planning Commission of India.

Additionally, he held several advisory roles, contributing to committees on higher education, technology, and the environment.

Trained as an astrophysicist, he made notable contributions to high-energy X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy, studying cosmic X-ray sources and celestial gamma rays and their effects on Earth's atmosphere.
For his contributions, Kasturirangan was honoured with the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan.