Sarabhai, Vikram Ambalal (1919–1971)
Leading pioneer of India's space program. Born into a wealthy business family,
Sarabhai broke with tradition and chose to enter science. He earned a Ph.D.
in physics in England and studied cosmic
rays with the eminent physicist Chandrasekhar Raman
at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. In 1948, he founded the
Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad which later served as the nucleus
of India's space program. Sarabhai expanded the Indian
Space Research Organisation, oversaw India's first satellite Aryabhatta
in 1975, and initiated the Satellite Instructional Television experiment
(SITE). When SITE was put into action in 1975–76, after Sarabhai's
death, it brought education to five million people in 2,400 Indian villages.
Related categories
• ROCKET
ENGINEERS AND SPACE SCIENTISTS
•
INDIA IN SPACE
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