Udupi Ramachandra Rao, Indian space scientist, Died at 85

  Reseacher

Udupi Ramachandra Rao was born on March 10, 1932 and died on July 24, 2017.

He was popularly known as U. R. Rao.

He was a space scientist and the former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation.

Rao was the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad and Nehru Planetarium at Bengaluru and chancellor of the Indian Institute for Space Science and Technology (IIST) at Thiruvananthapuram.

He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1976.

Rao was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2017.

Rao was inducted into the Satellite Hall of Fame, Washington, on 19 March 2013 at a ceremony organised by the Society of Satellite Professionals International.

With this he became the first Indian to be inducted.

Rao was also to be inducted in International Astronautics Federation (IAF) as on 15 May 2016.

Rao was also the first Indian again to achieve such a feat.

Udupi Ramachandra Rao passed away at 85 years old.