On this day in 1920, Dr Satish Dhawan was born. His contribution to the Indian space program set much of the foundation for India’s success in recent space missions.

He was a rocket scientist, who is considered by the Indian scientific community to be the father of experimental fluid dynamics research. He was one of the most eminent researchers in the field of turbulence and boundary layers.

In 1972, he succeeded Vikram Sarabhai as the Chairman of ISRO. During this period he directed the Indian space programme through a period of extraordinary growth. His efforts led to operational systems like INSAT- a telecommunications satellite, IRS – the Indian Remote Sensing satellite and the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) that placed India in the big league.

Following his death in 2002, the Indian satellite launch centre at Sriharikota was renamed after him. Watch this video to know more about his leadership and vision.