Veteran space scientist and Padma Shri awardee R. Manicka Vasagam has passed away.

Obituary

In February 2025, veteran space scientist Ramaswamy Manicka (R.M) Vasagam, a Padma Shri awardee and former member of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), passed away at the age of 84 in Bengaluru (Karnataka).


      - In 1982, he was honored with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, for his contributions to Science and Engineering.

      - In 1965, R.M. Vasagam joined India's space program through the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), which later became ISRO.

     

Main Point :-   (i) In 1994, R. Manicka Vasagam was appointed as the Director of the Directorate of Advanced Technology and Planning at ISRO in Bengaluru (Karnataka), and from 1996 to 1999, he served as the Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, Chennai (Tamil Nadu), later becoming the Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Institute of Information Technology (TANITEC).

      (ii) He also served as the Director of the Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) and was the Chancellor of Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute in Chennai.

(iii) In 1982, he received the Hari Om Ashram Prerit Dr. Vikram Sarabhai Research Award and in 1984, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Centennial Medal.

          ____________________________