With the successful landing of Chandrayan 3 on moon, India has come a long way since the inception of its space program. But do you know how India's space programme began and who helped in establishing ISRO, Indian Space Agency? His name is Dr Vikram Sarabhai. He is considered as Father of the Indian space program. Chandrayaan-3's lander module Vikram is named after him.
He was a physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped to develop nuclear power in India. Dr Sarabhai also established several institutions in diverse fields including IIM Ahmedabad. He was also chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.
Born in Ahmedabad in 1919, he completed his graduation from the University of Cambridge. After returning to India in 1947, he founded the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad at the age of 28. Dr Sarabhai successfully convinced the government of the importance of a space programme for a developing country like India. The Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was formed under his chairmanship in 1962. It later became ISRO in 1969.
The establishment of the ISRO was one of his greatest achievements. Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha, known as the father of India's nuclear science program, supported Dr Sarabhai in setting up the first rocket launching station in India. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1966 and the Padma Vibhushan (posthumously) in 1972.
He joined the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore and began research in cosmic rays under the guidance of Sir CV Raman. Dr Sarabhai was awarded a PhD degree in 1947 for his thesis titled Cosmic Ray Investigation in Tropical Latitudes. Sarabhai passed away in December 1971 in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram.
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