P. Veeramuthuvel (ISRO) Age, Caste, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About P. Veeramuthuvel

• P. Veeramuthuvel is an Indian scientist, serving in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He was appointed Project Director of the Chandrayaan-3 lunar probing mission of the ISRO in 2019. He has also held significant positions in various space exploration projects conducted by ISRO.

• In January 2003, Veeramuthuvel relocated to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. There, he became a senior engineer at Lakshmi Machine Works Limited and remained with the company until January 2004.

• From January 2004 to December 2004, he was employed at the HAL Rotary Wing Research & Design Centre of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru. At HAL, he was involved in several initiatives focused on manufacturing homegrown aircrafts for the Indian Armed Forces.
  

  A photo of Veeramuthuvel taken when he was working with HAL

• Veeramuthuvel became a part of ISRO in December 2004 as a Scientist Engineer (SE). While giving an interview, he said,
  

  As a student of engineering, I nurtured a dream – to work in the field of space in ISRO. But it took me some years to get there. After completing my M. Tech in Mechanical Engineering, I spent some years in a private company, and then in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru. During this period, I never lost focus on my ultimate destination – ISRO.”

  

  A photo of P. Veeramuthuvel with a rocket’s model

• He has also assisted in the designing and development of different types of remote sensing satellites for India as well as other nations.

• He has also worked on the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) project in which he aided in the development of the Mangalyaan satellite as well as the designing of the spacecraft meant to carry the satellite to Mars.

• Afterwards, he became deputy director of ISRO’s Space Infrastructure Programme at the central office. In this capacity, he made significant contributions in implementing initiatives aimed at enhancing ISRO’s launch station infrastructure.
  

  Veeramuthuvel while giving a speech at ISRO

• He took on the role of associate project director for India’s Chandrayaan-2 lunar mission, led by Project Director Muthayya Vanitha. In this capacity, he played a crucial part in establishing cooperation with NASA to enhance the mission’s chances of success. Additionally, he participated in the team responsible for discussions with NASA regarding obtaining a Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) for the mission. However, the mission did not achieve its intended outcome as the Vikram lander experienced a hard landing on the lunar surface instead of the intended gentle touchdown. In its, official statement, ISRO said,
  

  During the second phase of descent, the reduction in velocity was more than the designed value. Due to this deviation, the initial conditions at the start of the fine braking phase were beyond the designed parameters. As a result, Vikram hard-landed within 500 metres of the designated landing site on the moon.”

• He replaced Vanitha as the Project Director of the third lunar probe project, Chandrayaan-3, in 2019. He talked about his appointment, in an interview, and said,
  

  The Government of India has given me another mission – Chandrayaan-3. In November 2019, the Chairman of ISRO and the Director of my center appointed me as the Project Director for this next lunar mission.”

• The team of scientists working under him on Chandrayaan-3 focused on enhancing the propulsion mechanism for carrying the box-shaped Vikram lander with three legs and the Pragyan rover. These improvements aimed to facilitate a soft moon landing for the spacecraft and enable the rover to conduct various research and exploration activities on the lunar terrain.

• On 14 July 2023, at 2:35 pm IST, the Chandrayaan-3 mission took off as planned aboard the LVM3-M4 rocket from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
  

  A photo of the rocket carrying Chandrayaan-3 taken from an aeroplane

• Following a thirty-nine-day journey through space, the spacecraft arrived at its intended location, the South Pole of the moon, on 23 August 2023. At 6:04 pm IST, the spacecraft gently landed on the lunar surface.
  

  A photo of Chandrayaan-3 taken minutes before its touchdown on the surface of the moon

• Following the successful touchdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the European Space Agency (ESA) applauded the work and extended their congratulations to the complete project team.
  

  P. Veeramuthuvel addressing the media after the success of the Chandrayaan-3 project

  Through a video call, S. Somanath, the head of ISRO, updated the Prime Minister about the accomplishment of Chandrayaan-3 and said,

  We have archived soft landing on the moon. India is on the Moon.”

  

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the team of ISRO scientists involved in the landing of Chandrayaan-3 with Veeramuthuvel in the background (second from left)

• In an interview, Veeramuthuvel revealed that he is a disciple of the famous Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru and prior to starting working on the Chandrayaan-3 mission as its project director, he sought Sadhguru’s blessings. He talked about it and said,
  

  Before embarking on this momentous and challenging journey, I sought Sadhguru’s blessings. It was my good fortune that I met Sadhguru in person with my wife at the Isha Yoga Center and got his blessings and good wishes for the success of this project.”

• He has written multiple research articles that were published in well-known scientific periodicals. One of his works from 2016 discussed a vibration control system within a spacecraft’s electronic package. The research assisted ISRO in enhancing technology for safeguarding equipment onboard a rocket against intense turbulence.

• In an interview, Veeramuthuvel said that he initiated his yoga and meditation journey in 2009 while he was pursuing his M.Tech degree. He further said that his family also got involved with Sadhguru’s yoga and meditation initiatives through his introduction to the Isha Yoga Center in Tamil Nadu by a friend.

• Following the successful touchdown of Chandrayaan-3, Veeramuthuvel’s father, during an interview, got emotional and conveyed a deep sense of pride in his son’s accomplishments. Later, M. K. Stalin, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, engaged in a phone conversation with both Veeramuthuvel and his father, extending congratulations for the remarkable achievement.

VIDEO | Chandrayaan-3 project director P Veeramuthuvel's father turned emotional watching the successful landing of Vikram lander on the Moon's surface. #Chandrayaan3 #Chandrayaan3Landing #ISRO pic.twitter.com/bC6UJQtgP4

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 23, 2023

• On 24 August 2023, Google celebrated Chandrayaan-3’s success by releasing a doodle depicting the Pragyan rover on the southern pole of the moon.
  

  An image of the Google Doodle