By daniyal 
Udupi Ramachandra Rao was an Indian space scientist who is known as ” The Satellite Man of India “. Rao was the former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation. He was also remained the chairman of the Governing Council of the Physical Research Laboratory ,Ahmedabad and Nehru Planetarium (Bengaluru) and the chancellor of the Indian Institute for Space Science and Technology (Thiruvananthapuram).
In 1975 he pioneered India’s first satellite launch “Aryabhata”. In 1976, Government of India awarded Rao, the title of the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan in 2017. On 19 March 2013 at a ceremony organized by the Society of Satellite Professionals international, he was inducted into the Satellite Hall of Fame, Washington, which was made him first Indian inducted. On 15 May 2016 he was also to be inducted in IAF (International Astronautics Federation).
Early Life & Education
Udupi Ramachandra Rao was born on 10th March, 1932 at Adamaru, Udupi district, Karnataka, India. He belongs to a Madhwa Brahmin Hindu family. His father name is Lakshminarayana Acharya and Krishnanevi Amma was his mother. Rao got married with Yashoda Rao and they had a son Madan Rao.
Ramachandra got his early education fromat Adamaru and completed his secondary education from Christian High School, Udupi. After acquiring the Bechelor of Science degree from Govt. Arts & Science College, Anantpur, he done his M.Sc from Banaras Hindu University in 1954. Under the guidence of Vikram Sarabhai, he did Ph.D at Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India in 1960.
Then he worked as Assistant Professor at University of Texas at Dallas, where he carried out the investigation. Rao completed the experiments on a number of Pioneer and Explorer spacecrafts. In 1966, he came back to India and joined Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad as a professor.
Death: At the age of 85 years, Rao the great name in science & technology, got died on 24 July, 2017 at Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Career
Ramachandra was interested in science & technology since his childhood. After completing his education he joined armed forces as an emergency commissioned officer but physicist ” Vikram Sarabhai” advised him to conduct research. Rao started his career as a cosmic ray scientist. Ramachandra worked under the supervision of Dr . Vikram Sarabhai, which he continued at MIT. Rao’s experiments on a number of pioneer and explorer spacecraft led to a complete understanding of the Solar Comic Ray phenomena and the electromagnetic state of the interplanetary space. Convinced of the imperative need to use space technology for rapid development, In 1972 Rao undertook the responsibility for the establishment of satellite technology in India.
In 1975 Rao archived first Indian satellite ”Aryabhata” over 18 satellites such as Bhaskara, APPLE, Rohini, INSAT-1 and INSAT-2 series of several satellites of beneficial satellites and the IRS-1A and IRS-1B remote sensing satellites were designed, fabricated and launched for providing communication, remote sensing, and meteorological services. Rao was eligible elector of multiple academies like Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineers, International Academy of Astronautics and Third World Academy of Sciences.
In 1966, he back to India from US and started working as a professor at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad.
Harsh Sanghavi Age, Height, Net Worth, Personal Life, Biography, Family & More
Biography Wiki
| Full name | Udupi Ramachandra Rao |
| Nice name | Rao Bhava, Ramndu |
| Profession | Indian Space Scientist |
| Famous For | Being the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation from 1984 to 1994 Pioneering India’s first satellite launch Aryabhata in 1975 |
Personal Life
| Date of Birth | 10 March 1932 |
| Date of Death | 24 July 2017 |
| Birthplace | Adamaru, Udupi, Karanataka (then South Canara district, Madras Presidency, British India) |
| Hometown | Adamaru, Udupi, Karanataka (then South Canara district, Madras Presidency, British India) |
| Age ( as the time of death 2022) | 85 Years (24 July 2017) |
| Death Day | Monday |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Zodiac Sign | Pisces |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Cast | Brahmin |
| School | Christian High school, Udupi Veerashaiva College, Karnataka |
| College/University | University of Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu (1952) Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (1954) Gujarat University, Gujarat (1960) |
| Educational | Bachelor of Science form Madras University Master of Science form Banaras Hindu University Doctor of Philosophy form Gujarat University |
| Cast |
Physical Stats
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Semi-bald |
Awards & Honours
For his achievements as a space scientist, he earned numerous awards and medals. Rao is the recipient of various national like; Karnataka Rajyotsava Award (1975), Hari Om Vikram Sarabhai Award, Shanti Swarup Bharnagar Award (1975), Padma Bhushan (1976), National Design Award (1980), Visvik Research Award (1980), Om Prakash Bhasin Award (1993), P.C. Chandra Puraskar Award (1994), Electronics Man of the Year Award (1994), Zaheer Hussain Memorial Award (1995), Arayabhata Award (1995), Jawaharlal Nehru Award (1995), Yudhvir Foundation Award (1997), Gujar Mal Modi Award for Science & Technology (1999), Life Time Contribution Award (2001),Sir M. Visvesvaraya Memorial Award (2003), Life Time Achievement Award of Indian Space Research Organisation (2007) and A.V. Rama Rao Technology Award (2007).
The ex-president of India and Distinguished Scientist ” Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam” had great affection with Udupi Ramachandra Rao. He presented the ” Life Time Achievement Award ” to U.R. Rao for his outstanding contributions.
Rao also achieved many international awards, some of these are mentioned below:
- Group Achievement Award by NASA in 1973.
- Allan D Emil Award on International Cooperation in 1992.
- Frank J Malina Award in 1994.
- Eduard Dolezal Award of ISPRS in 2000.
- Theodore Von Karman Award in 2005.
Net Worth
Udupi Ramachandra Rao is a space scientist and achieve many remarkable performances during his career . His estimated total net worth is 3.5 Crore INR approximately .
Family
| Parents | Father : Lakshminarayana Acharya Mother : Krishnaveni Amma |
| Wife/Spouse | Yashoda Rao |
| Children’s | Son : Madan Rao (faculty at the National) |
Facts
- The Indian space scientist ” Udupi Ramachandra Rao ” is known as ” The Satellite Man of India”.
- He pioneered India’s first satellite launch ” Aryabhata ” in 1975.
- For his experiments and achievements, he got various national and international awards.
- In his career, he remained the chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation and Governing Council of the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India.
- On his 89th birhtday, a Google Doodle was made in his honour on 10 March,2021.
- Rao had fellowship and membership on many societies and organisations related to science & technologies.
- U.R. Rao is also the author of the books ” Space and Agenda 21 – Caring for Planet Earth ” (1995) and ” Space Technology for Sustainable Development ” (1996).