New Delhi, Sept 22: ISRO's new chairman G Madhavan Nair is an expert in rocket systems and has made significant contributions to the country's space programme. Nair as the director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, led research and development on satellite launch vehicles for orbiting spacecraft for remote sensing and communications, an Indian Space Research Organisation release said here.

Nair contributed impressively in the making of the first Indian Satellite Launch Vehicle, SLV-3, it said, adding as the project director, he brought to fruition the development of the country's first operational SLV - PSLV.

PSLV has had six successful launches so far and has showed its capability to place satellites in geo-synchronous transfer orbit. PSLV is also proposed for launching country's unmanned lunar craft under Chandrayaan-1 mission.
Nair also contributed to the indigenous development of cryogenic technology. After taking over as the director of VSSC in 1999 and in the following two years, he led the successful flight of GSLV in the very first attempt followed by another successful flight in May this year.
Nair has also been the leader of the Indian delegation to the united nations committee on peaceful uses of outer space (UN-Copuos). He graduated in engineering from Kerala University and got trained at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, the release said.
Bureau Report