A. S. Kiran Kumar

Aluru Seelin Kiran Kumar (born 22 October 1952) is an Indian space scientist, member of board of governors of the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur and former chairman of ISRO, having assumed office on 14 January 2015. He is credited with the development of key scientific instruments aboard the Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan space crafts. In 2014, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, for his contributions to the fields of science and technology. Kiran Kumar previously served as Director of the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad. Narayan Ramdas Iyer, Head of the Raman Science Centre and Planetarium, Nagpur discussing communicating science to students and how the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) can help in the venture with A.S.Kiran Kumar, Chairman ISRO.

Biography Space Applications Centre lists Kiran Kumar's achievements as: in the Indian state of Karnataka. He graduated in physics (Honours) in 1971, from the National College of Bangalore University. This was followed by a degree of MSc in Electronics from the same university, in 1973.

Kiran Kumar started his career, joining Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad, in 1975, The Terrain Mapping Camera and Hyperspectral Imager payloads of Chandrayaan-1 project is also credited to the efforts of Kiran Kumar. He has also published several articles in peer-reviewed international journals, ResearchGate has listed 41 of his articles.

Awards and recognitions

A. S. Kiran Kumar receiving the Gandhi Peace Prize for the Year 2014 for ISRO from the President Pranab Mukherjee. Kiran Kumar has received many awards and honours, starting with the Indian Society of Remote Sensing Award in 1994. The next year, 2008, saw Kumar getting the Team Achievement Award 2008 of International Academy of Astronautics In 2017 he was awarded the Vijnan Ratna H K Firodia award for his direction of the Indian space programme in such areas as earth observations, communication, navigation and developed indigenous launch vehicles. In 2019 France's highest civilian award - Chevalier de l'Ordre national de la Lgion d'Honneur - for his contribution to India-France space cooperation. Shri A.S. Kiran Kumar is the President-Elect of The Aeronautical Society of India. He is an Honorary Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar.