Tyagarajan S opines that Professor Udupi Ramachandra Rao, better known as U R Rao, is one of the key architects of India space program. He has worked alongside the likes of Dr Vikram Sarabhai, Dr Homi Bhabha and professor Satish Dhawan. As chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) between 1984 to 1994, he built the Indian space program, brick by brick, starting from the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) to internationalizing India most successful launcher, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). He drove the launch of India first satellite, Aryabhata, and followed it up with nearly 20 more satellites including the INSAT series.
In 2013, Dr. Rao was inducted into the prestigious Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) Hall of Fame to join more than 50 others, including Dr Arthur C Clarke, Dr Harold Rosen, Sidney Topol, Mary Frost and Robert Berry, to name a few. He also won Padma Bhushan in 1976 and Padma Vibhushan in 2017 from the Indian government. Rao led ISRO at a time when international embargos restricted Indian access to new space technologies. It was also a time when the country was still grappling with development issues and limited resources were available for the space program.
All of this serves to amplify the organization achievement under his helm. It also shines light on his unbridled space ambitions and confidence. Now, he wants an Indian to set foot on Mars in the next 15 years. It is a passion he has nurtured for a while. A little more than a decade ago, he co-authored a paper with his good friend Arthur C. Clarke on colonizing the red planet. An interview with Dr. Rao follows about ISRO, colonizing Mars and the state of the space industry today.
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