Shailesh Nayak gets additional charge of space department
Appointment comes after Isro chief K. Radhakrishnan's tenure ended on Wednesday
New Delhi: The search for the next chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has begun as K. Radhakrishnan’s tenure as chief ended on Wednesday.
While additional charge of the department of space has been assigned to Shailesh Nayak, secretary at the ministry of earth sciences, Isro officials said on condition of anonymity that they are confident a new Isro chairman will be appointed within a month.
Nayak has been given the additional charge only for a month starting 1 January until the appointment is made for the post.
“This is only a temporary measure taken because there has been a delay for some reason regarding the appointment. But the appointment will be made soon, maybe even before the month completes," said a former Isro official.
Nayak is no stranger at the national space agency. He has previously served a stint at Isro’s Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad after joining it in 1972.
He also served as director of Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and was instrumental in setting up an early warning system for tsunami and storm surges in the Indian Ocean.
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