Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh: As India celebrates the successful launch of Chandrayaan-2 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from the spaceport here on Monday afternoon, Kerala has even special reasons to cheer.
Chandrayaan-2 -- a visual story
The country's second lunar mission was launched on the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III. The GSLV Mark III rocket was manufactured at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) at Thumba in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram district. After the first launch had to be abandoned due to a technical glitch, the team of scientists at the VSSC rectified the faults on a war footing to make the second launch possible as soon as possible.
The cryogenic and liquid stage parts of the GSLV Mark III rocket were manufactured at the ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at Valiamala in Thiruvananthapuram. The navigation components of Chandrayaan-2 were designed at ISRO’s Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) at Vattiyoorkavu, also in Thiruvananthapuram.
Hundreds of Keralite scientists at the ISRO played a crucial role in the mission. Scientists, living in Kerala but who are not Malayalis, were also part of the mission at various stages.
Though ISRO chairman Dr K Sivan is originally from Tamil Nadu, he has been living at Karamana in Thiruvananthapuram for decades.
Prominent Malayalis behind the mission
S Somanath, the VSSC director behind the GSLV Mark III rocket, is a native of Cherthala
P Kunhikrishnan, the director of the U R Rao Satellite Centre, led a team of experts who designed the framework of Chandrayaan-2. He is a native of Payyannur in Kannur
J Jayaprakash is the director of GSLV Mark III M1 Mission. He is a native of Velamanoor in Kollam.
K C Raghunath Pillai, who is the vehicle director of the mission, is from Vayyattupuzha in Pathanamthitta.
P M Abraham, the associate vehicle director of the mission, is from Mallappally in Pathanamthitta district.
G Narayanan, the associate project director, is a Thiruvananthapuram native.
A Rajarajan, the director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, led the launch of the Chandrayaan mission.
Dr V Narayanan, The director of LPSC at Valiamala, was responsible for the manufacture of GSLV rocket's cryogenic and liquid engines.
D Sam Dayala Dev, who is the director of Inertial Systems Unit, was in charge of the manufacture of the navigation equipment on the rocket and the Chandrayaan spacecraft.
