As part of International Women’s Day, the Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha, its women’s wing and the South Indian Education Society, honoured India’s “Rocket Women” at Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai.
Alongside, Dr S. Somanath, chairman of ISRO and leader of Lunar Mission, and Dr P. Veeramuthuvel, project director of Chandrayan 3, were also felicitated.
Since Chandrayaan 3’s success, the eight ISRO women scientists and colleagues who were part of the mission have captivated the hearts and minds of people throughout the world with their tenacity and determination.
Moreover, their feat in ensuring Chandrayaan’s soft landing on the moon garnered them praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The eight women scientists who were received the honour include Kalpana Kalahasthi, associate project director and second-in-command of the mission. She was pivotal in ensuring the soft landing on the lunar surface. Nandini Harinath, project director and mission designer as well as Nihar Shaji, project director of the Aditya L1 mission, headed the Satellite Telemetry Centre at ISRO.
Others were Dr Madhavi S. Thakre, project manager responsible for the entire process from conception to implementation, Athulya S. Devi, deputy director of avionics, experienced in launch vehicle avionics system, Revathi Harikrishnan, group director of Propulsion and Electronics. The latter successfully led the team responsible for the lander propulsion control electronics and the precise soft landing of Chandrayaan 3.
Usha K, group director of the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit, designed and developed electronics and realised sensors and associated systems.
The associate director, Kalpana Arvind, was responsible for planning the paths for stereo vision cameras and the rover payload.
By Viswanathan KA
