Chennai, August 22: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Sivan on Thursday was honoured with the Tamil Nadu government's Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Award. State Chief Minister Eddapaddi Palaniswami conferred the award to Sivan in recognition of his stellar work in the promotion of science and technology. The award ceremony was held at the Secretariat in Chennai. Chandrayaan 2 Enters Lunar Orbit Successfully, ISRO Completes Tricky Operation Ahead of Moon Landing.

Earlier, the award was to be presented to the ISRO chief on August 15, but due to some engagements, he could not attend the function. The Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Award carries an eight-gram gold medal, Rs five lakh in cash and a citation. Where is Chandrayaan 2 Now and How It Will Reach The Moon; ISRO Mission's Path Explained.

K Sivan Honoured With Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Award:

The Kalam award is to honour those who work for promoting scientific growth, humanities and students' welfare and the awardees should hail from Tamil Nadu. Under Sivan’s chairmanship, ISRO had successfully launched Chandrayaan 2, the second mission to the moon on July 22 and he was the chief architect of SITARA, a 6D trajectory simulation software, according to the citation, which also hailed him as "Rocket Man". Chandrayaan 2 Launched Successfully and Twitterati Takes Off With Hearty Congratulations to ISRO.

Sivan was born in Mela Sarakkalvilai, near Nagercoil in Kanyakumari district. Sivan joined ISRO in 1982 to participate in the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) Project. He was appointed as the director of ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre on July 2, 2014, and later on June 1, 2015, he became the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.

(With inputs from PTI)

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