Dr Kasturirangan, Architect Of Chandrayaan-3, Recovering In Bengaluru Hospital

Dr. K Kasturirangan, the former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and one of the architects of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, is recovering in a Bengaluru hospital after suffering a heart attack.

The 82-year-old was in Sri Lanka on Sunday when he suffered the heart attack. He was airlifted to Narayana Hrudayalaya in Bengaluru, where he underwent angioplasty. He is said to be recovering well.

Dr. Kasturirangan is credited with initiating the Chandrayaan project. He first revealed the project during the Pokhran nuclear test anniversary lecture in 1999. After several feasibility studies, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced the project during his Independence Day speech in 2003.

Under Dr. Kasturirangan's leadership, India achieved several milestones in space exploration, including the successful launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

The Chandrayaan-3 mission is scheduled to be launched on Friday, July 15, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The mission will be India's third lunar mission and will attempt to land a rover on the lunar surface.

Kasturirangan has previously been chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University and chairman of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission. He has been a former member of the Rajya Sabha (2003-09) and a former member of the now-defunct Planning Commission.

He was also the Director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, from April 2004 to 2009.