K. Sivan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
K. Sivan
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait
|
|
| 9th Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation | |
| In office 15 January 2018 – 14 January 2022 |
|
| Preceded by | A. S. Kiran Kumar |
| Succeeded by | S. Somanath |
| 12th Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre | |
| In office 2015–2018 |
|
| Preceded by | M. C. Dathan |
| Succeeded by | S. Somanath |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kailasavadivoo Sivan
14 April 1957 Mela Sarakkalvilai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Education |
|
Kailasavadivu Sivan, born on April 14, 1957, is an Indian engineer who worked with rockets and spacecraft. He was the leader of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which is India's space agency. Before that, he was in charge of important centers like the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center.
Early Life
Sivan grew up in Sarakkalvilai, a village near Nagercoil in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. His parents are Kailasavadivu and Chellam.
Education Journey
Sivan's father was a mango farmer. Sivan went to a government school where he studied in the Tamil language. He was the first person in his family to go to college and earn a degree.
He earned a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Madras Institute of Technology in 1980. After that, he got a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore in 1982. He then started his career at ISRO. Later, in 2006, he completed his doctoral degree in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
Sivan is a respected member of several important engineering groups, including the Indian National Academy of Engineering. He also received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Sathyabama University in Chennai in 2014.
Career at ISRO
Sivan joined ISRO in 1982. He worked on designing and developing launch vehicles, which are the rockets that carry satellites into space. He was a key part of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) Project.
He also played a big role in improving the GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) program. Sivan helped create a special software called SITARA, which simulates how rockets fly.
In 2014, Sivan became the director of ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre. Then, in 2015, he became the director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.
Sivan was appointed the chief of ISRO in January 2018. Under his leadership, ISRO launched Chandrayaan-2, India's second mission to the Moon, on July 22, 2019. While the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover had a hard landing on the Moon, the orbiter part of the mission successfully continued to orbit the Moon.
His term as ISRO chairman was extended until January 2022. After his time at ISRO, Sivan was appointed as the chairman of the Board of Governors at the Indian Institute of Technology, Indore.
Awards and Recognition
Sivan has received several awards for his contributions to space science:
- Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award, 2019.
- IEEE Simon Ramo Medal, which he shared with Byrana N. Suresh, 2020.
