ISRO Mourns: Scientist N Valaramathi’s Final Countdown to Chandrayaan-3
N. Valaramthi, a prominent scientist from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) who played a pivotal role in India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, has tragically passed away. His unexpected demise has marked the end of the countdown to Chandrayaan-3, a significant moon mission for India. Valaramthi, known for his distinctive voice and role in making announcements during the Chandrayaan-3 launch, left the world due to a heart attack. This news has deeply saddened the ISRO scientific community.
Valaramthi, a native of Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu, breathed his last on a Saturday evening in Chennai. Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the Moon’s North Pole on August 23 of this year, following its launch from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on July 14. Valaramthi had played a crucial part in the countdown to the launch of this mission.
The passing of Valaramathi, the former ISRO scientist, has left a void that will be deeply felt during future missions from Sriharikota, according to Dr. PV Venkatakrishna, another former ISRO scientist. Chandrayaan-3 marked the last countdown ceremony led by Valaramathi, and his absence will be keenly felt. Dr. PV Venkatakrishna expressed profound sorrow at the news of Valaramathi’s passing, and people across social media are also sharing their condolences and grief.
In 2023, ISRO has been conducting launch missions almost every month, and its live streams are closely watched by people not only in India but also abroad. These launches feature unique voices and call-outs from officials present at the events. One such distinctive voice was that of ISRO scientist Valaramathi, who has sadly passed away. Union Minister Rajiv Chandrasekhar has also paid tribute to him. Valaramathi’s contribution to ISRO and his distinctive presence during launches will be remembered.
Valaramathi was the voice behind ISRO’s pre-launch countdown announcements, and he made his last announcement on July 30 during the launch of the PSLV-C56 rocket, which carried seven Singaporean satellites as part of a commercial mission. He had been the voice of countdown announcements for ISRO launches for the past six years. Sadly, at the age of 61, he passed away due to cardiac arrest at a private hospital in Chennai on Saturday evening. He had been unwell for some time before his demise.
Who was N Valaramathi?
Valaramathi, born on July 31, 1959, joined ISRO in 1984. He graduated in Engineering from the Government College of Technology, Coimbatore. Throughout his career, he played a crucial role in various missions. Notably, he served as the Project Director of RISAT-1, the first indigenously developed Radar Imaging Satellite (RIS) and the second of its kind from India. This satellite was successfully launched in April 2012. On August 15, 2015, he achieved the distinction of being the first recipient of the prestigious Abdul Kalam Award for his contributions to space research and technology.
