Who among the following is appointed as the tenth Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) recently?
- (a)A. S. Kiran Kumar
- (b)K. Sivan
- (c)K. Radhakrishnan
- (d)S. Somanath
Correct — D, S. Somanath. S. Somanath took charge as the tenth Chairman of ISRO in January 2022, succeeding K. Sivan. An accomplished rocket engineer who had headed the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, he led ISRO through this period. The other three options are all real, but earlier, ISRO chiefs.
- (a)A. S. Kiran Kumar — He was an earlier ISRO Chairman (2015-2018), the eighth, not the tenth appointed in 2022.
- (b)K. Sivan — K. Sivan was the ninth Chairman and Somanath's immediate predecessor, whom Somanath succeeded in January 2022.
- (c)K. Radhakrishnan — He chaired ISRO earlier (2009-2014), during the Mangalyaan era, and was the seventh Chairman, not the tenth.
The Chairman of ISRO also heads the Department of Space and the Space Commission. S. Somanath, a specialist in launch-vehicle and propulsion systems, became the tenth person to hold the post when he took over in January 2022, guiding programmes such as Chandrayaan and Gaganyaan.
This is a current-affairs recall question in which all four names are genuine ISRO chairmen; only the sequence and the 'tenth / recently appointed' cue single out S. Somanath, who followed K. Sivan.
- S. Somanath became the tenth Chairman of ISRO in January 2022.
- He succeeded K. Sivan, the ninth Chairman.
- He had previously directed the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.
- Somanath completed a three-year term and was succeeded by V. Narayanan in January 2025.
- Confusing successive ISRO chairmen (Radhakrishnan, Kiran Kumar, Sivan, Somanath).
- Assuming the most familiar name is the most recent appointee.
As an 'appointed as the Nth chairman / head recently' current-affairs recall item.
Who amongst the following was the Chairman of ISRO when INSAT-3B was launched?
- (a) Anil Kakodar
- (b) Abdul Kalam
- (c) K. Kasturirangan
- (d) U. R. Rao
Answer(c) K. Kasturirangan
The same 'identify the ISRO Chairman' idea from an earlier UPSC paper — reinforces the succession of ISRO chiefs that this NDA item tests.
- practice — not a real PYQ
S. Somanath, who became ISRO Chairman in January 2022, is by specialisation a
- (a)launch-vehicle and propulsion engineer
- (b)radio astronomer
- (c)atomic physicist
- (d)marine biologist
Answer(a) launch-vehicle and propulsion engineer — he earlier headed VSSC and LPSC.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Chairman of ISRO is also the Secretary of which department of the Government of India?
- (a)Department of Space
- (b)Department of Atomic Energy
- (c)Department of Science and Technology
- (d)Department of Defence Research
Answer(a) Department of Space — the ISRO Chairman heads it and the Space Commission.