Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme, is well known for his key contributions towards the advancement of science in the country, especially in the field of space exploration.

On his birth anniversary today here’s taking a look at some of the interesting facts about him and his major contributions to the space sector.

Key facts

Born on August 12, 1919, in Ahmedabad, Sarabhai belonged to an affluent family of progressive industrialists and was one of the eight children of Ambalal and Sarla Devi. He did his early education from a private school, named ‘Retreat’, which was run by his parents.

Post his matriculation, Sarabhai went to Cambridge for his college education. He took the tripos in Natural Sciences from St. John’s College in 1940. When World War II began, he decided to return to India and joined as a research scholar under CV Raman at the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science.

Sarabhai’s keen interest in solar physics and cosmic rays resulted in the setting up of several observation stations in different parts of the country. Later on, he went back to Cambridge in 1945 and then completed his PhD in 1947.

Soon after, he became instrumental in the establishment of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad in November 1947. This laboratory was set up in a few rooms at the MG Science Institute of the Ahmedabad Education Society founded by his parents. The laboratory got essential support from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) as well as the Department of Atomic Energy.

Sarabhai worked at the PRL between 1966 to 1971, while his influence spanned several organisations. After that he established the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962, which subsequently led to the establishment of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the turning point in India’s desire to explore space.

Major contributions

The establishment of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is considered one of the major contributions of Sarabhai to the country. After the launch of Sputnik by Russia, he successfully convinced the central government about the importance of having a space programme for a developing country like India.

Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha, considered the father of India’s nuclear science programme, backed Sarabhai in setting up the country’s first rocket launching station at Thumba near Thiruvananthapuram on the coast of the Arabian Sea.

The inaugural flight from here was launched on November 21, 1963, with a sodium vapour payload, as per the ISRO website.

Due to his interest in science education, Sarabhai founded a community science centre in Ahmedabad in 1966. This place today is known as the Vikram Sarabhai Community Science Centre.

For his contributions, he received the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Medal in 1962. The Centre honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1966 and Padma Vibhushan (posthumously) in 1972.

Vikram Sarabhai breathed his last on December 31, 1971.