Dr Shivakumar was part of the team that developed the telemetry system for Chandrayaan-I - India’s first lunar exploration mission

BANGALORE: Renowned space scientist and former Indian Space Research Organisation Satellite Center (ISAC) director Dr SK Shivakumar passed away on Saturday after suffering from an illness for the past ten days. 

Dr Shivakumar was part of the team that developed the telemetry system for Chandrayaan-I - India’s first lunar exploration mission. A native of Mysore, he was responsible for designing deep space communications equipment. He was involved in the development of the 32-metre dish antenna that can communicate with satellites millions of miles away.

He has served as director of ISAC and ISTRAC, two of Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) centres. He has been awarded the Rajyotsava Award, an honorary doctorate from Mysore University and the prestigious Padma Shri in 2010.