Dr. Vikram Sarabhai founded the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) in 1969, and India has landed on the Moon and Mars in the five decades since.
“Some people question the value of space activities in a developing country. There is no ambiguity of purpose for us “As the country emerged from the shadows of the British empire and a brutal partition, Dr. Vikra Sarabhai laid the groundwork for India’s space programme.
The physicist, who envisioned India’s rise into space and the need to go beyond the borders of our planet even as the country struggled to put three meals on the table, died on December 30 at the age of 51. In 1969, he established the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro), and in the five decades since, India has not only left the planet but also landed on the Moon and Mars.
WHO WAS VIKRAM SARABHAI?
Vikram Sarabhai was born on August 12, 1919, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, into an illustrious business family of industrialists. Vikram Sarabhai was one of Ambalal and Sarla Devi’s eight children. Vikram Sarabhai was drawn to science at a young age, despite his family’s involvement in the Indian freedom movement.
While he received his primary and secondary education in India, he went on to study at the University of Cambridge in England before returning to a free India in 1947. He earned his Ph.D. at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, under the supervision of Nobel Laureate Sir C. V. Raman.
As Chairman of the Indian National Committee for Space Research, he assumed responsibility for organising space research in India in 1962. (INCOSPAR).
In the aftermath of Russia’s Sputnik satellite test, he was able to persuade the government of the importance of a space programme for a developing country like India. Prior to that, in 1947, he established the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad to continue research activities.
“We have no desire to compete with economically advanced nations in the exploration of the moon, planets, or manned space flight. But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role at home and in the international community, we must be leaders in the application of advanced technologies to real-world human and societal problems “At the time, he stated.
He established India’s first rocket launching station at Thumba near Thiruvananthapuram on the Arabian Sea coast, primarily due to its proximity to the equator. On November 21, 1963, India launched its first space mission with a sodium vapour payload. Dr. Sarabhai then began work on a project to build and launch an Indian satellite.
As a result, the first Indian satellite, Aryabhata, was launched into orbit from a Russian Cosmodrome in 1975.
His efforts resulted in the creation of India’s workhorse rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). He also mentored India’s foremost rocket scientist, former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Dr. Sarabhai is responsible for the establishment of not only Isro, but also the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Ahmedabad, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, the Variable Energy Cyclotron Project in Calcutta, and the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) in Jaduguda, Bihar.
In 1962, the cosmic ray and space scientist received the Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Award for Physics, and in 1966, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan. He was posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan.
