WHO WAS HE?
Today is the 89th anniversary of Udupi Ramachandran Rao, famously known as “INDIA’S SATELLITE MAN”. He served as an Indian space scientist and chairman of INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION.
EDUCATION–
Udupi Ramachandran was born on March 10 1932, at Adamaru in the state of Karnataka. He completed his secondary education at Christian High School, Udupi. And after that, he went to Government Arts and Science College to complete his B.Sc. . And also done M.Sc. from INDIA’S Banaras Hindu University. PhD at Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, under Dr Vikram’s guidance Sarabhai.
CAREER-
After that, Rao accelerated his career as a cosmic ray scientist and worked under Dr Vikram Sarabhai’s visionary, which he continued at MIT. Rao’s experiments on several Pioneer and Explorer spacecraft. Therefore, led to a complete understanding of the solar cosmic-ray phenomena and the interplanetary space’s electromagnetic state.
Also, under his guidance, the very first Indian satellite fueled towards the sky, namely “Aryabhata” in 1975. Over 18 satellites including Bhaskara, APPLE, Rohini, INSAT-1 and INSAT-2 series of multipurpose satellites and the IRS-1A and IRS-1B remote sensing satellite is design, manufacture and launch for providing communication, remote sensing, and meteorological services. And thus, India established him as “Father of Satellite”.
Also, Prof U R Rao is an internationally known space scientist who did original contributions to space technology development in India and extreme communications and remote sensing of natural resources.
After taking charge as Chairman, Space Commission and Secretary, Department of Space in 1984, Prof. Rao switched to the development of rocket technology, resulting in the successful launch of the ASLV rocket and the operational PSLV launch vehicle can launch 2.0 ton class of satellites into polar orbit. Prof. Rao initiated the development of the geostationary launch vehicle GSLV.
AWARDS-
Also, Prof Rao is one who received Padma Bhushan’ by the Government of India in 1976. The third-highest Civilian Award, and ‘Padma Vibhushan’ in 2017 second-highest Civilian Award. Meanwhile, Prof. U.R. Rao is the first Indian Space Scientist for the highly Prestigious “Satellite Hall of Fame” at Washington DC, USA, on March 19, 2013. Other than that, Prof Rao is the first Indian Space Scientist to be a part of the highly Prestigious “IAF Hall of Fame” at Guadalajara, Mexico.
DEATH-
Professor Rao, 85, on July 24 2017, passed away in his Indira Nagar home in Bengaluru a little before 3 a.m. on Monday. He was a remarkable, promising and contributed man in the history of Indian space. Pride of INDIA’S young mind.