THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Eminent space scientist and former ISRO chairman S Somanath is likely to land in a top post within the central government. Somanath’s tenure as ISRO chief was marked by success stories and emphatic space missions that brought ISRO to international fame and recognition.
Good relations with the US and the European Space Agency helped Somanath win several contracts for ISRO's commercial arm, NSIL. He also encouraged opening up the country's space science sector to private entrepreneurship. Chandrayaan 3 became a landmark, while the Aditya-L1 mission was another milestone. Somanath even led the preparations for the Gaganyaan mission, which is expected to be launched before 2026.
It is known that he will be given the post of Chief Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister or the Minister of the Space Science Department after inducting him to Rajya Sabha. Somanath was considered a candidate in the last Lok Sabha elections, but his ill health foiled the plan.
S Somanath is a native of Alappuzha Thuravoor. He completed higher education at the Indian Institute of Science and joined VSSC in 1985. In 2015, he became director of LPSC and, in 2018, VSSC. In 2022, he succeeded K Sivan as the new ISRO chief.