BANGALORE, June 30: Mr S K Shivakumar, Distinguished Scientist and Associate Director, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) in the city, has assumed the office of Director of the Centre today.
He took over from Dr T K Alex, the outgoing Director. ISAC is ISRO’s premier Centre for conceptualisation, design, fabrication, testing, integration and in-orbit commissioning of satellite systems involving various cutting edge technologies.
Mr Shivakumar began his career in ISRO by joining ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in 1976 at Sriharikota and later served ISRO Satellite Centre for two decades (1978-1998) during which he made immense contribution to the mission planning, analysis and operations of several Indian satellite missions, including Bhaskara, APPLE, IRS and INSAT.
He served as Mission Director for IRS-1B and IRS-1C satellites which successfully completed a decade of operations in orbit, an ISRO release said here today.
From September 1998 to November 2010, Mr Shivakumar was Director, ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), which maintains the large constellation of Indian Remote Sensing Satellites in orbit and provides support to satellite launch vehicle missions with a world-wide network of ground stations.
He was also the Project Director for realising India’s first indigenous Deep Space Network antenna that measures 32 meters (100 feet) in diameter at Byalalu, near Bangalore.
This antenna was used for communicating with Chandrayaan-1, India’s first mission to the Moon, and will also serve future deep space missions.
Besides, he played a key role in realising the entire ground segment for Chandrayaan-1 mission including the Indian Space Science Data Centre at Byalalu
As Associate Director of ISRO Satellite Centre since November 2010, Mr Shivakumar has steered the design and realisation of many communication, remote sensing, navigation and scientific satellites.
Mr Shivakumar is an elected academician of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).
His current research interests are in the areas of highly capable space systems, autonomy in space systems and large antenna systems. (UNI)
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