Tribute To Vikram Sarabhai

THE FATHER OF INDIAN

SPACE PROGRAM

Vikram Sarabhai was an Indian physicist who is often referred to as the father of the Indian space programme. He is credited with the establishment of several important research and development institutes in India, including the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and the Space Applications Centre (SAC). Sarabhai's work in space research helped to transform India into a major player in the space age. He was deeply interested in the sciences, particularly space science and astronomy, founding several key research and development institutes in India. His work in the development of India's first satellite, Aryabhata, helped establish India's significant presence in the global space race.

Timeline

He returned to India when the country had newly become independent. Sensing the need for better scientific facilities in the country, Sarabhai convinced the charitable trusts his family managed to establish The Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad in November 1947.

1947
K.R. Ramanathan, an atmospheric scientist was the founder director of PRL and under his able guidance the institution went on to become a leading research organization dedicated to cosmic rays and space sciences.

1954
Dr. Vikram Sarabhai was very much interested in science education and founded the Community Science Centre at Ahmedabad in 1956. It is also called Vikram Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC). He also started a project for the fabrication and the launch of an Indian satellite.

1956
During the 1960s he also established the Vikram A. Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC) for promoting science and mathematics education among students and the general public. The organization aimed at stimulating interest in science subject among the masses.

1960
He was the founding director of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad which was the second IIM in the country. Along with businessman Kasturbhai Lalbhai he played a key role in setting up the institute of learning in 1961.

1961
He was the driving force behind the setting up of the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University (CEPT University) in Ahmedabad in 1962 which offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs in disciplines like architecture, planning and technology.

1962
Sarabhai was fully supported in his ventures by Dr. Homi Bhabha who was a pioneer in the field of nuclear research in India. Bhabha helped Sarabhai in setting up the first rocket launching station at Thumba on the coast of the Arabian Sea. The inaugural flight was launched on 21st November 1963.

1963
First rocket launched in India - Nike Apache from the shores of Thumba,Trivandrum

1963
In 1965, he founded the Nehru Foundation for Development (NFD) which is dedicated towards the promotion of basic study on the current problems of societal and individual development.

1965
India’s first indigenous sounding rocket, RH-75, was launched

1967
TERLS dedicated to the United Nations by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

1967
His most significant contribution to India was the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) which he helped to establish in 1969. The major objective of the organization is to advance space technology and apply it for national benefits.

1969
At the Bombay National Electronics Conference in 1970, Vikram Sarabhai announced plans to launch an Indian National Satellite. ISRO launched these multipurpose geostationary satellites to boost telecommunication, meteorology, and broadcasting.

1970
On 30 December 1971, Sarabhai was to review the SLV design before his departure for Bombay the same night. He had spoken to A. P. J. Abdul Kalam on the telephone. Within an hour of the conversation, Sarabhai died at the age of 52 due to cardiac arrest in Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram). His body was cremated in Ahmedabad.

1971

Things I Like About Him...

Timeline