Google celebrates 100th birthday of ISRO founder Vikram Sarabhai with a doodle

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Google on Monday celebrated Indian Space Research Organisation founder Vikram Sarabhai’s 100th birth anniversary with a doodle.

Sarabhai is considered the father of India’s space programme. “Beyond his personal interest in cosmic rays, rockets, and satellites, Dr. Sarabhai believed in using science and technology as ‘levers of development’,” Google said.

Born in Ahmedabad, Sarabhai established the Indian National Committee for Space Research in 1962, which later became ISRO. The Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in southern India had its first successful launch on November 21, 1963. Google said that Sarabhai’s dream of an Indian satellite was realised when Aryabhatta went into orbit in 1975. However, the scientist died three years prior.

“He also founded many important institutions in his homeland, such as the Physical Research Laboratory (when he was just 28 years old), the Indian Institute of Management, and the Center for Environmental Planning and Technology,” Google said. “He also served as chairman of India’s Atomic Energy Commission.”

The Community Science Centre in Ahmedabad was founded following Sarabhai’s efforts. It was later renamed in his honour. A crater on the moon was named was also in his honour in 1973.

“Earlier this summer the ISRO launched the Chandrayaan-2 mission in hopes of making India the fourth country to land on the moon,” Google said. “The Vikram lander is scheduled to touch down on the lunar surface on September 7th of this year.”