Former ISRO Chairman Prof UR Rao became the first Indian to be given the ‘Hall of Fame’ award by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). The IAF award is intended to reward personalities for their contributions to the progress of astronautics and the Federation.

The IAF Hall of Fame consists of a permanent gallery of these personalities, including a citation, biographical information, and a picture, in a special part of the IAF web presence. This year’s 67th International Astronautical Congress will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico in September, where Rao will receive the award.

• UR Rao had served as Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from 1984 to 1994.
• Under his leadership, India had initiated the development of the geostationary launch vehicle GSLV and the development of cryogenic technology in 1991.
• He was also responsible for successful launch of INSAT satellites during his stint at ISRO.
• He also had served as the first Chairman of Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of the ISRO.
• Presently, he is the Chairman of Governing Council of the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad. Currently, he is also Chancellor of Indian Institute for Space Science and Technology (IIST) at Thiruvananthapuram.