Vikram Sarabhai
Father of the Indian Space Programme
1919 – 1971
Vikram Sarabhai founded ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) in 1969 and built India's space programme from scratch — at a time when many questioned whether a developing nation had any business in space. A physicist trained at Cambridge, he convinced the Indian government that space technology was not a luxury but a necessity: a tool for solving the urgent problems of 600 million people without reliable electricity, without all-weather roads, without education for remote villages. In 1963, he established the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in Kerala — sited on the magnetic equator — from a small church and a fishermen's hut. India's first sounding rocket was assembled in a Bishop's house and transported on a bicycle. He died in 1971, aged 52, before seeing his greatest dreams realised. But every Indian satellite, every PSLV launch, every Chandrayaan, every Mangalyaan — every mission that proved a developing country could lead humanity deeper into space — stands on the foundation he built.
Key Contribution
Founded ISRO (1969). Launched India's first rocket from Thumba (1963). Established the principle that space technology exists to serve the poorest — not to compete with superpowers. Every Indian space mission since is his legacy. The Indian government's highest science honour is the Vikram Sarabhai Award.
“There are some who question the relevance of space activities in a developing nation. To us, there is no ambiguity of purpose. We do not have the fantasy of competing with economically advanced nations in exploring the Moon or the planets or manned spaceflight.”
— Vikram Sarabhai
Works & Achievements
- ✦Founded ISRO (August 15, 1969)
- ✦Established Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (1963)
- ✦India's first rocket launch — assembled in a church (1963)
- ✦Padma Bhushan (1966)
- ✦Bharat Ratna (posthumous, 1966)
- ✦Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) — named in his honor