New Delhi, April 14: On this day in 1957, Kailasavadivoo Sivan as born in the coastal village of Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu. A pioneer among Indian scientists, Sivan through his sheer diligence and consistent efforts ended up at the helm of the Indian Space Research and Organisation (ISRO). Sivan also holds the honour of working closely with former President and architect of India's nuclear programme, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. ISRO Chief K Sivan Recalls Moment When PM Modi Hugged Him After Chandrayaan 2 Shortfall, Says 'Taught Me Many Lessons'.

After serving for nearly 38 years in the ISRO - which involved his crucial role in several successful projects executed by the Indian space agency - Sivan turned into a household name after his chairmanship witnessed the Chandrayaan 2 mission. The ambitious space project involved a soft-landing on the moon's surface. Although India missed the target by a narrow margin, the Sivan-led lunar project ended up inspiring millions across the globe. Here are some lesser known facts related to him.

Lesser Known Facts About K Sivan

Sivan, an aerospace engineer, joined ISRO in 1982 and was inducted into PSLV Project, which served as a foundation for the launch of several key space vehicles including GSLV MkII & MkIII including RLV-TD.

Sivan is the chief architect of 6D trajectory simulation software, SITARA, which is the backbone of the real-time and non-real-time trajectory simulations of all ISRO launch vehicles.

He was responsible for commissioning world-class simulation facility in ISRO for mission synthesis and analysis, which is used for mission design, sub-system level validation and integrated validation of avionics systems in all ISRO launch vehicles.

Sivan developed and implemented an innovative 'day-of launch wind biasing strategy' that enables rocket launch on any day, under varied weather and wind conditions.

The incumbent ISRO chief was the chief mission architect for successful launch of 104 satellites in a single mission of PSLV.

Sivan has received many  awards including Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) from selected universities. He has numerous publications in various reputed Journals including a book in Nov 2015 “Integrated Design for Space Transportation System” published by Springer.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 14, 2020 07:59 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).