When Dr Vanniyaperumal Narayanan (60), who will succeed S Somanath as the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO), was in Class 1 in 1969, his teachers at the Government Tamil Primary School in Melakttuvilai village of Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu announced the breaking news of Apollo 11 landing on the Moon successfully and its commander Neil Armstrong making the famous moonwalk for the first time.

“I did not understand the gravity of the historic achievement then. But, I remember the excitement in our classroom and we wondered how it would be to walk on the Moon,” says Dr Narayanan, currently the Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) situated at Valiamala in Thiruvananthapuram.

This conversation with Onmanorama happened soon after he was elevated to the top ISRO post on January 8, 2025. He will take over the reins of ISRO on January 14.

Farming family
Narayanan was born to the late C Vanniyaperumal and late S Thangammal as their eldest son, with three brothers and two sisters following him.

“My father was a farmer, and my mother a homemaker. My father lost his father when he was just five years old, which changed his life at a very young age. My father is my role model. He ensured that all of us had a good education. They slogged day in and day out on the farm so that we could all go to school and college. It was not easy for them, and I saw the struggle of our parents,” says Narayanan.

Narayanan passed the 10th grade with first rank and then joined a diploma course at the government polytechnic, which he completed with another first rank.

His first job was as a diploma trainee at TI Diamond Chains Ltd of TI Cycles, Chennai.

“Later, I moved to the Madras Rubber Factory and worked there for two weeks before taking up an apprentice training with BHEL Trichy. In seven months, I was fortunate enough to join the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram on February 1, 1984,” recalls the top space scientist.

Narayanan completed his AMIE in Mechanical Engineering, M.Tech in Cryogenic Engineering with first rank from IIT Kharagpur, and PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the same institution.

He is married to Kavitharaj NK. Their elder daughter, Divyaa, is an engineer with an MNC, and their son, Kalesh, is pursuing computer science engineering.

“My wife and children are always a huge source of inspiration for me. My wife especially is a very constructive critic. She is a good friend and guide to me. We are a simple, god-fearing family. I have not forgotten my roots, the paths of my struggle, and the lessons learned from my life,” adds  Narayanan.

Rocket & Spacecraft Propulsion expert
At LPSC, his colleagues remember him as a hands-on man always available to provide solutions to complex problems.

Narayanan oversaw the development of liquid, semi-cryogenic, and cryogenic propulsion stages for launch vehicles; chemical and electric propulsion systems for satellites; control systems for launch vehicles; and transducer development for propulsion system health monitoring.

As a rocket and spacecraft propulsion expert at VSSC, Narayanan worked extensively on the solid propulsion area of sounding rockets, Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV), and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). He has been credited by the space community for his pivotal role in the successful development and operation of the Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) for the GSLV Mk-II.

For the GSLV Mk-III experimental mission with the CARE module, he conceived and realised the Passive Cryogenic Stage and contributed to the successful experimental flight. He also provided techno-managerial leadership and conceived, designed, and developed the 25-ton Cryogenic Propulsion System of the GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle powered by an engine developing a thrust of 200kN, according to an official ISRO document.

For the GSLV Mk-III M1/Chandrayaan-2 Mission, the L110 Liquid Core Stage and the C25 Cryogenic Stage were delivered for the vehicle by his team. Propulsion systems for the Orbiter and Vikram lander were also delivered under his guidance. He headed the panel that investigated the hard landing of the Chandrayaan-2 lander, which resulted in corrective measures that made Chandrayaan-3 successful.

For ISRO’s big-ticket Human Space Programme Gaganyaan, Dr Narayanan and his team have been working on the Human Rating of C25 and L110 liquid stages of the LVM3 vehicle, the development of propulsion modules for the crew module and service module, and the cabin pressure control systems, among other innovations.

“It’s a great opportunity to work at ISRO. I am wedded to this organisation that made me what I am today. The processes in place at ISRO are inspiring, and that is what makes this organisation different,” Dr Narayanan told Onmanorama. 
(The writer is a Bengaluru-based military journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Tarmak Media House.)