Srinivas Hegde, the former ISRO scientist renowned for his pivotal role as the mission director of India’s first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1, has passed away at the age of 71. Hegde, who played a crucial part in the mission that discovered water molecules on the Moon, died at a private hospital in Bangalore on Friday. He is survived by his wife and two sons.
Hegde’s illustrious career at ISRO spanned from 1978 to 2014, during which he contributed to numerous space missions as part of the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), previously known as the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC).
According to family sources, Srinivas Hegde had been undergoing treatment for a kidney-related ailment. He suffered a heart attack late Thursday night and was rushed to a private hospital in Jayanagar, where he passed away around noon on Friday.
M Annadurai, former director of URSC and project director of Chandrayaan-1, reminisced about his early days with Hegde. “He was my first immediate boss when I joined ISRO in 1982. He was a great colleague to work with and was instrumental in the success of Chandrayaan-1 and many other missions,” Annadurai told TOI.
During his 36-year tenure at ISRO, Hegde was deeply involved in the planning, analysis, and operations of various projects. His expertise in mission design, analysis, and planning was invaluable to ISRO’s numerous successes.
