Dr. A.S. Kiran Kumar – Rally for Rivers Board Member

A.S Kiran Kumar was instrumental in evolving a successful mechanism to steer Mangalyaan – India’s Mars Orbiter Spacecraft – towards Mars and insert it into orbit. Mr Alur Seelin Kiran Kumar, was one of ISRO’s most accomplished space scientists, with a distinguished career spanning over four decades in the satellite payload and applications domains.

He has made immense contributions to the design and development of Electro-Optical Imaging Sensors for Airborne, Low Earth Orbit and Geostationary Orbit satellites, starting from the Bhaskara TV payload to the Mars Orbiter Mission payloads.

Mr Kiran Kumar was instrumental in evolving a successful mechanism to steer Mangalyaan – India’s Mars Orbiter Spacecraft – towards Mars and insert it into orbit.

Mr Kiran Kumar is a recipient of many national and international awards including the Padma Shri, conferred by the President of India in 2014, the International Academy of Astronautics’ Laurels for Team Achievement Award for Cartosat in 2008 and for Chandrayaan-1 in 2013, the Indian Society of Remote Sensing (ISRS) Award for the year 1994, the VASVIK award (Electronic Sciences and Technology) for the year 1998, the Astronautical Society of India Award (Space Sciences and Applications) for the year 2001, the ISRO individual Service Award 2006, the Bhaskara Award of ISRS in 2007 and the ISRO Performance Excellence Award 2008.

He is a Fellow of several esteemed institutions such as the Indian National Academy of Engineering, Indian Society of Remote Sensing, Institution of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineers, and the Indian Meteorological Society. He is also a member of the International Academy of Astronautics.

Mr Kiran Kumar has represented ISRO in international forums such as the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and Indo-US Joint Working Group on Civil Space Cooperation.