Udupi Ramachandra Rao
Udupi Ramachandra Rao | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 March 1932 Adamaru, South Canara district, Madras Presidency, British India (present-day Adamaru, Udupi district, Karnataka, India) |
| Died | 24 July 2017 (aged 85) |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | Indian Space Program |
| Spouse | Yashoda Rao |
| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Space science and Satellite Technology |
| Institutions | |
| Doctoral advisor | Vikram Sarabhai |
Udupi Ramachandra Rao | |
|---|---|
| 4th Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation | |
| In office 1984 – 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Satish Dhawan |
| Succeeded by | Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan |
Udupi Ramachandra Rao (10 March 1932 – 24 July 2017) was an Indian space scientist and former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation. He was also the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad and Nehru Planetarium at Bengaluru and chancellor of the Indian Institute for Space Science and Technology (IIST) at Thiruvananthapuram. He is known as "The Satellite Man of India". He pioneered India's first satellite launch Aryabhata in 1975.
Rao was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1976, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2017. He was inducted into the Satellite Hall of Fame, Washington, on 19 March 2013 at a ceremony organised by the Society of Satellite Professionals International. With this he became the first Indian to be inducted. He was also to be inducted in International Astronautics Federation (IAF) on 15 May 2016. He was again the first Indian to achieve such a feat.