Dr EV Chitnis: ISRO founding member who oversaw India’s 1st rocket & connected villages to satellites

Padma Bhushan Dr Eknath Vasant Chitnis, who supervised the development of India's first rocket and who laid the groundwork for INSAT dies at 100.

A file photo of Padma Bhushan Dr Eknath Vasant Chitnis | X/@AjitPawarSpeaks

Bengaluru: He supervised the development of India’s first rocket, the Nike Apache, in 1963. He also connected rural India through technology, laying the groundwork for what evolved into the Indian National Satellite System or INSAT.

On Wednesday morning, Padma Bhushan Dr Eknath Vasant Chitnis, founding member of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) passed away in Pune. He was 100.

Chitnis is also the man who chose the location of the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), in Thiruvananthapuram, which was used to launch India’s first rocket.

Chitnis played a significant role in the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) in 1975-76, and has helped connect more than 2,000 villages across six states through satellites. It helped rural India improve agriculture through weather forecasting and better telecommunications.

It was after the success of SITE, that Chitnis joined the Kheda Communication Project to connect rural India through technology.

Born in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur, Chitnis finished school in Pune and graduated in Chemistry and Physics.

He joined father of the Indian space programme Vikram Sarabhai in 1966 when Sarabhai wanted more research on space and x-rays.

“Working with Vikram Sarabhai was enriching,” recalled Chitnis during his speech at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Pune on 25 July when he turned 100, as reported by The Indian Express.

He was closely associated with Vikram Sarabhai during India’s space research programme in 1961 and the very next year, he became Member Secretary of the Indian National Committee for Space Research, later called ISRO.

In fact, according to reports, it was Chitnis who advised A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to get involved in the Indian space programme.

During 1956 to 1958, Chitnis developed the Extensive Air Shower Experiment in Kodaikanal to study cosmic rays at high altitude.

The Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, in 1985.

Chitnis was associated with the Press Trust of India (PTI) and served twice as director. During his three-decade long stint at PTI, he contributed immensely to popularising science journalism in India.

(Edited by Viny Mishra)