The Centre on Wednesday appointed S Somanath as the Secretary of the Department of Space and the Chairman of the Space Commission.
Another Malayali has returned to the helm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Somanath, who has been the Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, will replace K Sivan as the head of India's space agency.
Sivan was given a year's extension and his term is set to end very soon. Somanath becomes the fourth Malayali to hold the post after K Kasturirangan, G Madhavan Nair, and K Radhakrishnan. Somanath who at present is the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
His new appointment is for a combined tenure of three years from the date of joining of the post, inclusive of an extension in tenure beyond the age of superannuation in public interest, a Personnel Ministry order said.
Somanth hails from Aroor in the Alappuzha district, had graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the TKM College of Engineering in Kollam. He had joined VSSC in 1985. Somanath will succeed K Sivan, who completes his extended tenure on Friday, January 14.
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