Former ISRO chief, Dr K Kasturirangan, the man behind India's maiden mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-1, died in Bengaluru at 84.
Dr. K Kasturirangan, born on October 24, 1940, in Ernakulam, was a multifaceted personality who was a Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhuhan awardee, a former Member of Parliament, and someone who spearheaded the formulation of the New Education Policy 2020. An astrophysicist by training, he headed the Indian Space Research Organization for nearly a decade, and India's two main rockets became operational in his tenure.
As the head of ISRO, Dr Kasturirangan conceived India's maiden outing outside Earth orbit. It was under his leadership that Chandrayaan-1, then named Somayaan, was born.
The world first came to know of India's moon mission ambitions on May 11, 1999 when during the first National Technology Day talk soon after the famous Pokharan explosions of 1998, he slipped in a few slides on how the workhorse rocket the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) could be deployed to launch a modest orbital mission to the moon.
Finally, as per the timeline suggested by Dr Kasturirangan, India flew to the moon with Chandrayaan-1 on a sub-100-million-dollar mission in 2008. This mission and its global collaboration changed lunar history and geology once and for all, with the path-breaking discovery of the presence of water molecules on the moon's surface.
On being questioned about the rationale of the maiden moon mission, Dr Kasturirangan had famously remarked, "It is not a question whether we can afford to go to the moon, it is whether we can afford to ignore it". The rest is history, he was ecstatic when India became the first country to soft land near the South Pole of the moon with Chandrayaan-3 in 2023.
Former ISRO chairman K Kasturirangan passes away
— NDTV (@ndtv) April 25, 2025
NDTV's @pallavabagla reports pic.twitter.com/Y2APrTa3Kp
After his tenure at ISRO, he was nominated as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha in 2003 and then became part of the Planning Commission. He was the chairman of the task force that drafted the New Education Policy 2020. He also played a key role in drawing up sustainable development plans for the ecologically sensitive Western Ghat Mountains, a political hot potato he negotiated deftly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. K. Kasturirangan" and said the ex-ISRO chief was "a towering figure in India's scientific and educational journey. His visionary leadership and selfless contribution to the nation will always be remembered."
I am deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. K. Kasturirangan, a towering figure in India's scientific and educational journey. His visionary leadership and selfless contribution to the nation will always be remembered.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 25, 2025
He served ISRO with great diligence, steering India's space… pic.twitter.com/GPdFKPU7b5
He was earlier the Director of ISRO Satellite Centre, now named UR Rao Satellite Centre, where he oversaw the activities related to the development of new generation spacecraft, Indian National Satellite (INSAT-2) and Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS-1A & 1B) as well as scientific satellites.
During his tenure as ISRO chairman, India's space programme witnessed several milestones, including the successful launching and operationalisation of India's prestigious launch vehicle, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the first successful flight testing of the all-important Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).
He also oversaw the design, development and launching of the world's best civilian satellites, IRS-1C and 1D, the realisation of the second generation and the initiation of third generation INSAT satellites, besides launching ocean observation satellites IRS-P3/P4.
He was also the Project Director for India's first two experimental earth observation satellites, BHASKARA-I & II and subsequently was responsible for the overall direction of the first operational Indian Remote Sensing Satellite, IRS-1A.
Dr. Kasturirangan took his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Physics from Bombay University and received his Doctorate Degree in Experimental High Energy Astronomy in 1971, working at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. As an Astrophysicist, Dr. Kasturirangan's interests included research in high-energy X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy as well as optical astronomy. He made extensive and significant contributions to studies of Cosmic x-ray sources, celestial gamma-ray and the effect of cosmic x-rays in the lower atmosphere.
He had been conferred Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. India's moon pioneer is now reaching for the stars.
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