Dr. V. Narayanan - From India's cryogenic engine expert to ISRO Chief

"He is the key person in the development and successful flight testing of the first Indian cryogenic stage in GSLV-D5 vehicle. He is also the designer of CE20 Cryogenic engine. He is the Project Director of C25 Cryogenic Project of GSLV MkIII Vehicle(now known as LVM3). The Cryogenic Engine Mathematical Modelling and Simulation software developed by him is routinely used in the development of cryogenic engines and stages," that is how an ISRO-authored book on India's space journey describes Dr. V. Narayanan, presently the senior-most ISRO Director and Chairman-designate of the Indian space agency. 

Dr. V. Narayanan has been appointed #ISRO Chairman and Secretary, Dept of #Space

At present, he leads ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, which designs and develops liquid-fuel rocket engines.. #india #isro #science #tech pic.twitter.com/lE3g8d81Ry

— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) January 7, 2025

An expert in rocket engine development, Dr Narayanan specialises in the domain of cryogenic propulsion systems, which are among the most sophisticated avenues in the vast world of rocketry. Typically, cryogenic propulsion systems burn Liquid Hydrogen (a supercooled fuel that is maintained at minus 253 degrees Celsius) and Liquid Oxygen (a super supercooled fuel that is maintained at minus 183 degrees Celsius). So far, only the US, Russia, Europe, Japan, China, and India have the capability to design, develop, and produce cryogenic propulsion systems. 

Dr. V. Narayanan completed his schooling at a village school in the  Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. Later, he completed his M.Tech and Ph.D. from IIT, Kharagpur, where he was awarded a Silver Medal for securing the first rank in his M.Tech programme. He has also been honoured with the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Life Fellowship Award. 

As the Cryogenic Rocket Engine technology was denied to India by other spacefaring nations, Dr. V. Narayanan successfully developed the C25 Cryogenic stage (cryogenic engine and related components, structures), while serving as the Project Director of the Indigenous Cryogenic Stage. The Indigenous C25 Cryogenic stage has delivered success in all six launch missions of India's largest and heaviest LVM3 rocket, including the Chandrayaan-2 & 3 moon missions. The C25 is the final stage of the three-stage LVM3 rocket, and it is the cryogenic stage that enables efficient delivery of heavier payloads to space at high velocities. He has also contributed towards the development of the cryogenic upper stage for the GSLV Mk2 rocket, which is the younger sibling of the LVM3 rocket.

During his tenure as LPSC Director, the ISRO facility delivered more than 220 propulsion systems (engines) for 40 rockets and 40 satellite missions. He is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), and presently the National President of the Indian Society of Systems for Science & Engineering (ISSE). 

As the Director of ISRO's Liquid Propulsion System Centre, his teams developed and delivered the engines that propelled Chandrayaan-3 to the moon and enabled the soft landing of the Vikram lander. 

For the PSLV C57/Aditya-L1 mission, the team under him delivered the liquid-fuel engines that propel the rocket and the spacecraft. As mission readiness review committee chairman, he reviewed and cleared the mission and helped India become the fourth nation to successfully accomplish the study mission.

He is the Chairman of the Space Transportation System Programme Management Council, guiding all the teams involved in rocket development and operationalisation. His teams have completed the development of all four liquid propulsion systems for India's astronaut-carrying rocket and the crew capsule. He heads the team that is developing the major systems for Environmental (pressure, temperature and oxygen) Control and Safety Systems, which create a safe Earth-like habitat for astronauts in the crew capsule. He is the Chairman of the National Level Human Rating Certification Board, which certifies ISRO's LVM3 rocket for their ambitious astronaut-carrying missions as part of the Gaganyaan programme.

As the core designer and leader, he is contributing towards India's most powerful rocket engine, a 200-tonne thrust Semi-Cryogenic engine that burns kerosene and liquid oxygen. The Semi-cryogenic stage (engine and components) and the C32 Cryogenic stage are meant to be used, respectively, as the second and third stages of the LVM3 rocket to enable its lifting capacity and reduce its launch cost by around 30 per cent. This upgraded LVM3 rocket is to be used to place different segments of the proposed Indian space station (Bharatiya Antariksh Station) in orbit around the Earth. 

Dr Narayanan has been leading the development of a methane-liquid oxygen-powered rocket engine, related components, and the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (rocket), which will help execute India's plans to land its astronauts on the moon. His teams are also working on the engines that will propel India's fourth lunar mission, Chandrayaan-4 (meant to bring back samples from the moon's surface) and the Venus orbiter mission.