Former ISRO chief U R Rao becomes first Indian to be inducted into IAF Hall of Fame

Former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman Udupi Ramachandra Rao, popularly known as U. R. Rao, was inducted into the 2016 IAF Hall of Fame on 30 September 2016 by the International Aeronautical Federation (IAF).

With this, Rao became the first Indian to be inducted into IAF Hall of Fame.

Who is Udupi Ramachandra Rao?

• U. R. Rao is the former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation.

• At present, he is the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad.

• He is also the chancellor of Indian Institute for Space Science and Technology (IIST) at Thiruvananthapuram.

• He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1976.

• On 19 March 2013, he was inducted into the Satellite Hall of Fame, Washington at a ceremony organised by the Society of Satellite Professionals International. He was the first Indian to be inducted.

About International Astronautical Federation

• The International Astronautical Federation is an international space advocacy organisation based in Paris.

• It was founded in 1951 as a non-governmental organization to establish a dialogue between scientists around the world.

• It has over 300 members from 66 countries across the world.

• It is linked with the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) with whom the IAF organises the annual International Astronautical Congress.

• The IAF Hall of Fame consists of a permanent gallery of honoured personalities, a citation, biographical information and a picture on the IAF website.

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