Award Winning Scientist VR Lalithambika To Lead India’s First Human Space Program 

Addressing the nation on Independence Day from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India would launch a crewed space mission by 2022 to mark 75 years of independence. As things stand, India would only be the fourth country to send an astronaut into space.

Now Economic Times has reported that Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chairman K Sivan has chosen scientist VR Lalithambika to lead India’s first human spaceflight program. Lalithambika is a decorated scientist who has won an excellence award in launch vehicle technology and various other accolades like the space gold medal, ISRO individual merit award, and ISRO performance excellence award.

Lalithambika has experience in various modules like building autopilot of rockets and led the team to design rocket designs.

After her appointment, she was quoted by the Deccan Chronicle as saying that, “It's very challenging to work in ISRO. We are just starting so I cannot comment much on the human spaceflight programme. I don't see anything special or different moving as head of this programme office in ISRO headquarters from VSSC (Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram). We undertake anything as well as we can”.