Mr Kiran Kumar is a highly accomplished space scientist and former chairman of ISRO. He has a distinguished career spanning over four decades in ISRO in the satellite payload and applications domains. He is credited with the development of key scientific instruments aboard the Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan space crafts.

The Government of India awarded him with Padma Shri (2014) for his contributions to the fields of science and technology. He is also awarded France’s highest civilian award for his contribution to India-France space cooperation.

Mr Kiran Kumar has made immense contributions to the design and development of Electro-Optical Imaging Sensors for Airborne, Low Earth Orbit and Geostationary Orbit satellites starting from Bhaskara TV payload to the latest Mars Colour Camera, Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer and Methane Sensor for Mars instruments of India’s Mars Orbiter Spacecraft, which has successfully completed one hundred days in Mars Orbit recently. His legacy spans across his contributions to the scientific world, specifically Indian space endeavors, and his efforts towards the dissemination of knowledge by way of articles and lectures.