Scientist N Valarmathi of the Indian Space and Research Organization (ISRO), who was the driving force behind the country’s rocket countdown launches, has died.
Wion claims that Valarmathi, a local of Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu, died on Saturday night in Chennai after suffering a heart attack. Her last countdown was the wildly successful Chandrayaan-3, which was launched on July 14.
Dr. PV Venkitakrishnan, a former director at ISRO, expressed his condolences for her passing on X (previously Twitter) and said: “Valarmathi Madam’s voice will not be there for the countdowns of future missions of ISRO from Sriharikota. Her last countdown announcement was Chandrayaan-3. an unexpected death. Really sad. Pranams!”
The scientist’s passing has received several accolades on social media.
N Valarmathi: Who was he?
Valarmathi, who was born on July 31, 1959, joined ISRO in 1984 and took part in a number of missions. She oversaw the construction of RISAT-1, the nation’s second radar imaging satellite (RIS), which was constructed entirely inside India.
In April 2012, RISAT-1 was successfully launched.
APJ Abdul Kalam, often known as the “Missile Man of India,” was a former president of India. On Independence Day in 2015, Valarmathi became the first recipient of the renowned Abdul Kalam Award, which was established by the Government of Tamil Nadu in his honor.
