Mylswamy Annadurai, popularly known as the Moon Man of India, is an Indian scientist working as vice president for Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology,[1][2] Chairman, Board of Governors, National Design and Research Forum.[3] He was born on 2 July 1958, in Kothavadi in the Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu state of India.[4][5][6] Prior to taking this assignment he was with Indian Space Research Organisation and served as director of the Indian Space Research Organisation Satellite Centre.[7][8] During his 36 years of service in the Indian Space Research Organisation, he had some of the major contributions, including two of the major missions of ISRO, namely Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan. Annadurai has been listed among 100 Global thinkers of 2014 and topped the innovators list.[9] His works are mentioned in textbooks of Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education[10]
India's first mission to Mars, the Mars Orbiter Mission, or Mangalyaan, reached the planet on 24 September 2014 completing its 300-day journey. While ISRO has been researching a Mars mission for many years, the project was only approved by the government in August 2012. ISRO took over a year to work on the spacecraft and bring the project to implementation stage. The Mars Orbiter Mission was launched on 5 November 2013 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on the country's east coast. After travelling 670 million kilometres, Mangalyaan is now set to study the surface features, morphology, mineralogy and Martian atmosphere to better understand the climate, geology, origin, evolution and sustainability of life on the planet. It is the most cost effective of all the missions sent to the planet by any other country costing India about $74 million.[12]
Chandrayaan-1 was India's first mission to the Moon launched by India's national space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The uncrewed lunar exploration mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor. India launched the spacecraft by a modified version of the PSLV C11 on 22 October 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh about 80 km north of Chennai at 06:22 IST (00:52 UTC). The mission was a major boost to India's space program, and India joined a band of Asian nations (China and Japan) in exploring the Moon. The vehicle was successfully inserted into lunar orbit on 8 November 2008.
Image of the spacecraft.
During the period 2004–2008, as the project director for Chandrayaan I, he led a team of engineers and scientists that designed and developed the project to carry instrumentation from ISRO and from NASA, ESA, and Bulgaria to accomplish simultaneous chemical, mineralogical, resource and topographic mapping of the entire lunar surface at high spatial and spectral resolutions. The project was realised within the time frame stipulated and the budget granted. He has paved the way for the future of Indian planetary missions and set an example for international cooperation bringing international organisations like NASA, ESA, and JAXA to work under the leadership of ISRO. Chandrayaan I has received many national and international awards including, the Space Pioneers award for science and engineering at the 28th International conference on Space development, in Florida USA in 2009.[13][14]
Director, ISRO Satellite Centre
From 2015 to 2018 Annadurai was heading ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore[15] as director. The centre is responsible for building satellites for communication, remote sensing, navigation, space science and interplanetary missions. In his tenure as Director of the centre he has overseen making, launching and operationalisation of 30 state of the art satellites.[16]
Post retirement from ISRO
In 2019 Mylswamy Annadurai was appointed as vice president for Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology. In the same year he has been also nominated as chairman, Board of Governors, National Design and Research Forum (NDRF)[17] He uses both positions effectively for the development of science and technology both at the state and national level, starting from science outreach at school level to guiding some high-end collaborative research of social relevance by bringing together research labs, academia, industry and policymakers,[18][19]
Films
In the movie Mission Mangal based on India's Mars mission, the character of Akshay Kumar is inspired from Annadurai [20]
In the feature film Chandrayaan based on India's first Moon mission Chandrayaan-1 directed and produced by Santhosh George Kulangara,[21] his and his family members' roles were enacted by south Indian cine artists.
Previous assignments
During his 36 years of service in ISRO Dr Annadurai held various responsibilities. Prior to becoming the Centre Director, he served as programme director for IRS&SSS (Indian Remote Sensing & Small, Science and Student Satellites) that include Chandrayaan-1, Chandrayaan-2, ASTROSAT, Aditya-L1, Mars Orbiter Mission and many Indian Remote Sensing missions. He also contributed to India's National Communication satellite (INSAT) missions as the Mission Director. He was the member secretary of the task team that prepared Chandrayaan I project report. He is the author of several research papers in his specialization.
Annadurai's career profile is as follows,
1982 : Joined ISRO
1985-88 : Team leader to develop S/W satellite Simulator
The Government of Tamilnadu awarded a special citaion and a cash award of Rs 2.5 millions for the contribution of Space Science and Technology in India on 2 Oct 2023.[25]
Personality of the year Awarded by St. Johns International School, Chennai
Hikal Chemcon Distinguished Speaker Award 2010, the 63rd Annual Session of Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, Annamalai University.
National Science and Technology Award, 2011, Sathyabama University, Chennai.
Distinguished Scientist Award, KC College, Mumbai, Diamond Jubilee Award
Awards from ISRO
Annadurai is the recipient of the Hariom Ashram pretit Vikram Sarabhai Research Award for his outstanding Contributions to Systems analysis and Space systems management(2004).
He is also the recipient of a citation from ISRO for his contribution to the INSAT systems Mission management(2003)
Team Excellence award for his contribution to the Indian Space Program (2007).
ISRO Merit Award 2009
Team Excellence Award 2010 as team leader of Chandrayaan-1 team
ISRO Outstanding Achievement award, 2014
National and international awards from professional bodies
Laurels for Team Achievement Chandrayaan-1, International Academy of Astronautics,2013, Beijing China
Certificate of Appreciation from Boeing Asian – American professional Association, Houston, USA
Listed in the TNIE-Uninor Achiever of the year 2009,[38]
Listed in the Dinamalar-Uninor Achiever of the year 2009,[39]
Pearl Ratna,2020 by Pearl Education Foundation
Best Conference paper in the Innovations and Entrepreneurship, Annual Intl Conference by Industry Studies Association, USA, 3-4 Jun 2021 that carried US$500 cash prize and an award plaque
Dr APJ Abdulkalam memorial Science and technology Achievement award,2023 by Indian Science Forum Oman at National University for Science and Technology, Oman
Awards from social and public forums
Vivekananda Award for Human Excellence by Rama Krishna Mission[40]
Kongu Achiever Award 2009 From NIA Trust, Pollachi.
Best Tamil Scientist Award, Makkal Viruthu, Makkal TV, 2009
Amara Bharathi National Eminence Award for Science and Technology, 2010
Karmaveerar Kamaraj Award,2010 from Chennai Mhahajana sabha
Dr Rajah Sir Muthiah Chettiar Birthday Commemoration Award for 2012.[41]
"Listed among 100 Global thinkers of 2014 and topped the innovators list "[9]
Senthamiz Award, 2021, Gandhi World Peace Foundation
Manavai Mustafa Memorial Award for Science, 2021
Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to Space Science, Weekend Leader an online portal and Ethiraj College Chennai, 2024 [55]
Annadurai's publications and works are being widely referred by satellite operators, one of his works has been referred in a US patent.[56]
He has written seven books in Tamil namely,
1.Kaiyaruke Nila
2.Siragai virikkum Mangalyaan
3.Valarum Ariviyal
4.Ariviyal Kalanjiyam and
5.Vinnum Mannum.
6. India-75
7. Periyarum Ariviyalum
The Book" Kaiyaruke Nila" has won S. P. Adithanar Literary award for the year 2013.
The book, " Vinnum Mannum" has won Manvai Mustafa Memorial Science Award for the year 2021
The book Siragai virikkum Mangalyaan has been translated in Kannada language.
