Chairperson of ISRO
| Chairperson of the Indian Space Research Organisation | |
|---|---|
since 14 January 2025 | |
| Type | Chairman |
| Status | Head of ISRO |
| Reports to | Prime Minister of India |
| Appointer | Appointments Committee of the Cabinet of Government of India |
| Precursor | Chairman of Indian National Committee for Space Research & Secretary, Department of Space |
| Inaugural holder | Vikram Sarabhai |
| Formation | 1963 (as chairman of INCOSPAR) |
| Salary | ₹2.5 lakh (US$3,000) (Monthly basic) |
| Website | Chairman ISRO, Secretary DOS |
The Chairperson of the Indian Space Research Organisation is the statutory head of ISRO. The officeholder is a secretary to the Government of India and an executive of the Department of Space (DoS) which directly reports to the Prime Minister of India.
The Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was founded in 1962 under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) with Vikram Sarabhai as its chairperson which in 1969 became ISRO. In 1972, government of India had set up a space commission and DoS and brought ISRO under DoS.
Since Sarabhai assumed the position, there have been eleven chairmen of the ISRO, with Satish Dhawan serving the longest term of 12 years as the chairman. Most of the chairmen have been South Indians.
Recently on 8 January 2025, The Central Government has appointed Dr. V. Narayanan, currently the director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Thiruvananthapuram, as the new chairperson of ISRO, and also as the secretary of the DoS.