The Week India – July 21, 2019

n INTERVIEW

BY REKHA DIXIT

K. Sivan

chairman, ISRO

THE NEXT

TARGET

IS VENUS

T

here is a wall of shelves in K. Sivan’s office,

stacked with polished gleaming models of rock-

ets and satellites the Indian Space Research

Organisation has launched. With the number of

launches having increased in recent years, the shelves

are only able to display the most recent ones. If the

shelves are indicators of ISRO’s growth, two wall paint-

ings are a reminder of its humble beginnings. One shows

a rocket being transported by bullock cart, another is

the iconic image of a rocket being taken on a bicycle.

The chairman is no different. He is a son of the soil

who rose to be known as Rocket Man, because of his

work with the cryogenic engine technology. Ahead of

the launch of Chandrayaan-2, Sivan spoke to THE WEEK

about exciting days ahead. Excerpts:

Q/ ISRO missions are getting very ambitious, and the

world is watching. Does the fear of failing worry you?

A/ I began my tenure with a failure (a GSLV Mk-II launch

in March 2018, when ISRO lost contact with its satellite,

the GSAT-6A). Our failure rates are very low because

we have well-defined systems. Our system hinges on

teamwork and an excellent review mechanism. We work

with passion here.

The design margin for space systems is so low that

the difference between success and failure is only a

hairline. In rocket systems, there are known knowns,

known unknowns and unknown unknowns. In some

places, we know there will be uncertainty, so we build

in extra margin. In some places, it is difficult to identify

whether there can be error. This holds true for all space

agencies. Recently, Russia had a failed launch and the

cosmonauts made an emergency exit. There is always

some unlucky time.

Q/ You say unlucky. Is there luck in rocket science?

A/ No, we do not talk about luck in rocket science. Those

are engineering systems. Luck is a personal thing. I defi-

nitely believe in luck, but we do not incorporate the luck

factor into our systems.

Q/ How did you recreate the moon’s landscape for

testing Chandrayaan-2?

A/ This facility in Chitradurga simulates the conditions

of the site where the probe will land. We made the two

craters, complete with the gravitational pull the lander

will experience. We even created a soil, using existing

knowledge about the moon.

Q/ Which are the new technologies that have been

developed for Chandrayaan-2?

A/ It is too early to tell. The spin-offs of the new tech-

nologies come only much later.

COVER STORY

CHANDRAYAAN-2

22 THE WEEK • JULY 21, 2019