Satish Dhawan
Aerospace engineer who led ISRO after Vikram Sarabhai
- Lived
- 81 yrs
- 1920 – 2002
- Works listed
- 0
- Career highlights
- Honours
- 1
- Most recent 1981
- Profile views
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Satish Dhawan was an aerospace engineer who led the Indian Space Research Organisation from 1972 to 1984, building on Vikram Sarabhai’s vision. Under him India launched its first satellites and reached orbit with its own rocket. The Sriharikota launch centre is named after him. He died in 2002.
Biography
Scientist
Dhawan studied mathematics, physics, English and mechanical engineering in Lahore, then aeronautics in the United States, earning a PhD at the California Institute of Technology in 1951. At the Indian Institute of Science he set up India’s first supersonic wind tunnel and researched turbulence and boundary layers.
IISc
He was director of the Indian Institute of Science from 1962 to 1981, encouraging young researchers and making it one of India’s leading research centres.
ISRO
After Vikram Sarabhai’s sudden death in 1971, Dhawan became chairman of ISRO in 1972 while continuing at IISc. Under him India launched Aryabhata (1975) and Bhaskara with Soviet help, and in 1980 the home-built SLV-3 rocket placed the Rohini satellite in orbit. He also guided the first communications and remote-sensing satellite programmes.
Legacy
Dhawan was known for his integrity: when the first SLV-3 test failed in 1979 he faced the press himself, and when the next succeeded he sent his project director, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, to speak. He received the Padma Vibhushan in 1981 and died in Bangalore on 3 January 2002; the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota bears his name.
Timeline
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1920
Born in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
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1951
PhD at Caltech
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1962
Director of IISc
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1972
Chairman of ISRO
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1975
Aryabhata launched
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1979
First SLV-3 test fails
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1980
SLV-3 puts Rohini in orbit
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1981
Padma Vibhushan
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2002
Dies in Bangalore
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2002
Died, aged 81
Awards and honours
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Padma Vibhushan
1981
Did you know?
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1
He took the blame for a failed launch and gave credit for the success to his team.
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2
He set up India’s first supersonic wind tunnel.
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3
India’s spaceport is named after him.
Connections
Related people
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Vikram Sarabhai
Science · Physicist and father of India’s space programme
Predecessor as head of the space programme
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A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Science · Aerospace scientist and 11th President of India
Project director of SLV-3 under him
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U. R. Rao
Science · Space scientist who built India’s first satellite
Led the Aryabhata satellite under him
Also born on 25 September
Frequently asked
Who is Satish Dhawan?
Satish Dhawan was an aerospace engineer who led the Indian Space Research Organisation from 1972 to 1984, building on Vikram Sarabhai’s vision. Under him India launched its first satellites and reached orbit with its own rocket. The Sriharikota launch centre is named after him. He died in 2002.
When did Satish Dhawan die?
Satish Dhawan died on 3 January 2002 at the age of 81.
Where is Satish Dhawan from?
Satish Dhawan was born in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
What is Satish Dhawan known for?
Satish Dhawan is best known for Chairing ISRO from 1972 to 1984; fluid dynamics research; India’s first satellites and the SLV-3.
What awards has Satish Dhawan received?
Notable honours include Padma Vibhushan (1981).
References
- Satish Dhawan — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Satish Dhawan — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Satish Dhawan (Q325393) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Satish Dhawan”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
Featured in
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 27 October 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Satish Dhawan.” TrackFame, last updated 28 October 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/satish-dhawan
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