S. Somanath (Indian Aerospace Engineer) Biography

Quick Info

Profession	Aerospace Engineer
Nationality	Indian
Date of Birth	01/07/1963
Age	63 years
Birthplace	Aroor, Alappuzha, Kerala

Latest News about S. Somanath

20/08/2026

S. Somanath was appointed as a part-time, non-official director on the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India for a four-year term starting 20 August 2026. The appointment came after his retirement from ISRO in January 2025, and reports also note that he continues to serve in academic and advisory roles, including as Chancellor of Chanakya University.

14/01/2025

Dr. S. Somanath retired from his position as Chairman of ISRO on 14 January 2025 after completing his 3-year tenure marked by historic missions including Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1. He transitioned to new roles as Vikram Sarabhai Distinguished Professor at ISRO and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Indian Institute of Science's Department of Aerospace Engineering, while V. Narayanan assumed the ISRO Chairman position.

Do you like S. Somanath?

You can vote only once.

Bio/Wiki

Full name	Sreedhara Panicker Somanath
Nickname	Som

Physical Stats & More

Eye Color	Black
Hair Color	Black

Educational Qualification(s)

Education	Pre-degree program at Maharaja's College, Ernakulam (1978-1980) Graduation in Mechanical Engineering at TKM College of Engineering, Kerala University (1980-1985) Master's Degree in Aerospace Engineering from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (1994-1995) PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (2008) B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Thangal Kunju Musaliar College of Engineering (1985) M.Tech in Aerospace Engineering from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (1995)

Education

Pre-degree program at Maharaja's College, Ernakulam (1978-1980)
Graduation in Mechanical Engineering at TKM College of Engineering, Kerala University (1980-1985)
Master's Degree in Aerospace Engineering from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (1994-1995)
PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (2008)
B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Thangal Kunju Musaliar College of Engineering (1985)
M.Tech in Aerospace Engineering from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (1995)

Personal Life

Ethnicity	Malayali

Relationships & More

Marital Status

Married

Family

Spouse

Valsala Somanath

Children

Madhav
Malika

Parents

Father	Sreedhara Panicker (Teacher)
Mother	Thankamma

Career

Awards, Honours, Achievements	Performance Excellence award from ISRO (2009) Honorary doctorate by Satyabhama University Chennai (2018) National Aeronautics Prize by Aeronautical Society of India (2019) Honorary doctorate by Centurion University Bhubaneswar (2020) Gold Medal in Master's Programme Space Gold Medal from Astronautical Society of India Team excellence award for GSLV Mk-III realisation Karnataka Rajyotsava Prashasti at the 68th Karnataka Rajyotsava (2023) EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 Finalist PhD from IIT Madras (2024)
Current Position	Vikram Sarabhai Distinguished Professor at ISRO (2025-Present); Distinguished Visiting Professor at Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Science (2025-Present); Chancellor of Chanakya University, Bengaluru
Previous Positions	Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) (2022-2025) Chairman of Space Commission (2022-2025) Secretary of Department of Space (2022-2025) Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) (2015-2017) Associate Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) (2014) Deputy Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) (2010-2014) Project Manager for Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) (1995-2002) Joined ISRO in 1985 Associate Director (Projects) of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) Deputy Project Director of GSLV Mk-III (2003-2010) Deputy Director of Structures Entity, VSSC (2012-2013) Deputy Director of Propulsion and Space Ordinance Entity, VSSC (until November 2014) Team Leader for PSLV Integration (1985 onwards)
Major Missions & Achievements	Led Chandrayaan-3 mission which successfully landed near the lunar south pole on 23 August 2023, making India the first country to land near the lunar south pole and the fourth country to achieve soft landing on the Moon Spearheaded Aditya-L1 solar mission Led development of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) Spearheaded progress on Gaganyaan human spaceflight program Led SpaDeX mission development toward India's space station goals Contributed significantly to PSLV program development Led development of Pushpak Reusable Launch Vehicle Oversaw successful completion and qualification of CE20 cryogenic engine and C25 stage for GSLV MkIII-D1 Led first experimental LVM3-X/CARE mission (18 December 2014)

Social Media

LinkedIn	https://www.linkedin.com/in/somanthspeak

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. A Malayali has been appointed as the fourth Chairman of ISRO.
2. He achieved the second rank during his graduation.
3. His expertise lies in launch vehicle design, engineering, structural dynamics, and pyrotechnics.
4. He has a career spanning over 40 years in aerospace engineering.
5. He was designated as a Distinguished Scientist (Apex Grade) at ISRO.
6. He silently battled severe health issues while leading ISRO's ambitious projects during his tenure as Chairman.
7. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
8. He was the 10th Chairman of ISRO and the 10th Director of LPSC.
9. He has a career spanning nearly 40 years in aerospace engineering.
10. He revealed he was diagnosed with stomach cancer on the morning Aditya-L1 was launched but continued to lead the mission successfully

S. Somanath Aerospace Engineer Indian Aroor, Alappuzha, Kerala