As a part of lessons in excellence, Master class series, Dayananda Sagar University, School of engineering had organized a guest lecture on “India in Space” which was addressed by former ISRO chairman A. S. Kiran Kumar on 26th September, 2019.

Aluru Seelin Kiran Kumar is an Indian space scientist and former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, having assumed office on 14 January 2015. He is credited with the development of key scientific instruments aboard the Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan space crafts.

Mr. Kiran Kumar is a highly accomplished space scientist and engineer with a distinguished career spanning over four decades in ISRO in the satellite payload and applications domains.

Mr. Kiran Kumar took us behind the scenes on the evolution of India’s space program, and the contributions of ISRO to the design and development of Electro-Optical Imaging Sensors for Airborne, Low Earth Orbit and Geostationary Orbit satellites starting from Bhaskara TV payload to the Mars Orbiter Mission payloads.

Mr. Kiran Kumar gave a presentation on how ISRO paid a key role in evolving the successful strategy for steering the Mars Orbiter Spacecraft towards planet Mars as well as its Mars Orbit Insertion, including the role played by the Indian Space Agency in devolving the observation strategy encompassing land, ocean, atmospheric and planetary studies.

Mr. Kiran Kumar is a recipient of many national and international laurels / awards including the Padma Shri Award conferred by the President of India in 2014, International Academy of Astronautics’ Laurels for Team Achievement Award for Cartosat in 2008 and for Chandrayaan-1 in 2013, Indian Society of Remote Sensing (ISRS) Award for the year 1994, VASVIK award (Electronic sciences and technology) for the year 1998, Astronautical Society of India Award (Space Sciences and Applications) for the year 2001, ISRO individual Service Award 2006, Bhaskara Award of ISRS in 2007 and ISRO Performance Excellence Award 2008.

Mr. Kiran Kumar has represented ISRO in international forums like World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and Indo-US Joint Working Group on Civil Space Cooperation.