Contents
M Sankaran is an Indian space scientist who became famous after the Chandrayaan 3 mission in 2023. He has worked for more than 3 decades in ISRO space projects.
Wiki/Biography
Muthusamy Sankaran was born in Tamil Nadu, India. He completed a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Physics from Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli in 1985. He joined the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1986.
Physical Appearance
Hair Colour: Salt & pepper (Partially bald)
Eye Colour: Black
Family
He belongs to a Hindu family.
Parents & Siblings
There is not much information about his parents and siblings.
Wife & Children
There is not much information about his wife and children.
Career
His first posting was at the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) in 1986. He later worked on many different projects including Solar arrays, Power systems, Satellite Positioning Systems, and RF communication systems for Low Earth Orbit(LEO) Satellites, Geostationary Satellites, Navigation Satellites, and Outer Space Missions like Chandrayaan, and Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). He also worked on projects related to the 70V bus for the ISRO satellites, power generation and distribution systems for interplanetary missions like Chandrayaan-1, 2, and 3, Mars Orbiter Mission, and Astrosat. In 2015, he became the Group Director of Power System Group.
M Sankaran after a few years of joining ISRO
On 1 June 2021, he was appointed as Director of U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), the centre of design, development, and realisation of all satellites of ISRO. In 2023, he was a member of the Chandrayaan 3 mission team, which also included S. Somanath (ISRO Chief), P. Veeramuthuvel (Project Director), Srikant (Mission Director), S Unnikrishnan Nair (VSSC Director), A Rajarajan (LAB Chief), and Kalpana K (Deputy Project Director).
M Sankaran, Kalpana K, Srikant, S. Somanath, and P. Veeramuthuvel (right to left), the team of Chandrayaan 3 mission
Awards
- ISRO’s Performance Excellence Award for 2017
- ISRO Team Excellence Awards in 2017 and 2018
Facts/Trivia
- After the successful landing of Chandrayaan 3 on the South pole of the Moon on 23 August 2023, M Sankaran’s speech became very viral in which he thanked the people who were criticising India’s moon mission and scientists associated with it. He said that even a casual and unintended remark can help the mission.
- He has published many scientific papers related to the fabrication and testing of solar panels and battery systems.