While “IITians went to Silicon Valley; CETians took us to the moon!”
As many as seven scientists who worked closely with ISRO Chief Dr S. Somanath are from the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram (CET).
On August 23, when India’s space agency, ISRO, successfully landed its Chandrayaan-3 mission’s Lander Module on the Moon’s surface, India created history as only a few other countries, like the U.S.A, Russia (former USSR), and China have done this till now. India also became the first country to land close to the Moon’s south pole.
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) created history after it failed to do so four years back in 2019. The Chandrayaan 3 team of ISRO scientists are from various educational institutions in India, but one institution that has produced thousands of engineers, researchers and scientists over the years has once again displayed its quality through this ambitious and historic project.
The Vikram lander made a gentle landing on the Moon, and this was a crucial step in the mission. ISRO was waiting for the right moment to start the landing process, and everything went as planned. This is a significant moment for India’s space exploration.
Chandrayaan 3 and the 7 CETians
India created history as Chandrayaan-3’s ‘Vikram’ module successfully landed on the Moon’s South Pole. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated ISRO via live video from South Africa, highlighting India’s presence on the Moon.
As many as seven scientists who worked closely with ISRO Chief Dr S. Somanath are from the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram (CET). It was the sheer effort of these geniuses and hundreds of others involved in this Chandrayaan-3 project which was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota Range (SDSC SHAR) on 14 July 2023, to demonstrate India’s capabilities by doing a soft landing on Moon.
College of Engineering, Trivandrum was established in 1939 as the first Engineering College in the then Travancore State. The seven alumni of this college involved in the Chandrayaan-3 are, S. Mohana Kumar (Mission Director / mechanical) is a senior scientist at ISRO and is responsible for overseeing the launch and landing operations of the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover on the Moon’s south pole. Mohana Kumar has been with ISRO for over 30 years and has worked on various projects related to rocket technology and space applications. He is the head of the Fabrication of Composites at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram; Athula Devi S, Deputy Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, ISRO (electronics); Satheesh (mechanical); Narayanan (associate mission director / mechanical); Mohan (mechanical) and Shooja (electronics).
ISRO Chief, Dr S. Somanath who also hails from Kerala is a product of the TKM College of Engineering, Kollam, Kerala.
Congress leader and former Union Education Minister Shashi Tharoor, who is a Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram applauding these scientists wrote on X (earlier known as Twitter): “Indians are rightly obsessed with the IITs, but let's salute the alumni of unsung engineering colleges who serve the public sector with dedication & who are the backbone of national enterprises like ISRO. IITians went to Silicon Valley; CETians took us to the moon!”
The Chandrayaan-3 project has scientists drawn from various educational institutions including IITs, NITs, Universities like Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University and so on.
Who is the ISRO Chairman?
Dr. S. Somanath, ISRO Chairman was born in a Malayali Nair family as a son of V. Sreedhara Panicker, a noted Hindi teacher of his time, and Thankamma in Thuravoor, Kerala. Dr. Somanath did his schooling at St. Augustine's High School, Aroor and completed his pre-university program at Maharaja's College, Ernakulam. He received his graduate degree in mechanical engineering from Thangal Kunju Musaliar College of Engineering, Kollam, Kerala University and a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram (CET)
College of Engineering, Trivandrum was established in 1939 as the first Engineering College in the then Travancore State. The first classes were started on 3rd July 1939 during the reign of the Travancore King, Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma and as the head of the then Travancore state he deserves his share of credit in the establishment of the college.
Initially, the College was housed in the former office and bungalow of the Chief Engineer (present PMG Office). Maj T.H. Mathewman, a Britisher was the first Principal. Started as a constituent College of Travancore University, the College had an initial intake of 21 students each for Degree and Diploma courses in Civil, Mechanical and Electrical branches. With the establishment of the Directorate of Technical Education in the late fifties, the College administration came under the control of the Government of Kerala. The College was shifted to the present sprawling 125 acres in 1960.
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Abhay an alumnus of IIMC and Delhi University, has over a decade long experience of reporting on various beats of journalism. During his free time he prefers listening to music or play indoor and outdoor games.