COIMBATORE: Within a few weeks, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is slated to launch a microwave remote sensing satellite, RISAT-1 (Radar Imaging Satellite). After the space vehicle enters its designated orbit, you can expect ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan to grin from ear to ear. Sharing the honours will be a little-known scientist, Valarmathi, who hails from Tamil Nadu. In fact, she is the project director of RISAT-1, the first woman from this State to head such a project.Earlier, senior scientist R N Tyagi was the project director of RISAT.A 1981-batch engineer from Government College of Technology in Coimbatore, Valarmathi took charge following the retirement of Tyagi. “I am a 1981-batch engineer from the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Government College of Technology in Coimbatore,” she told Express over phone from ISRO Satellite Centre in Bangalore. However, she declined to entertain further questions. Recently, Radhakrishnan had said that RISAT-1 could be launched anytime after March 15.In fact, Valarmathi is the second woman scientist in India’s space history to head such a mission.T K Anuradha was the first woman scientist to head a space mission when GSAT-12 was launched on July 15, 2011.Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT-1) is a microwave remote sensing satellite that has a Synthetic Aperture Radar and weighs about 1,850 kg. It is slated for launch by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle- C19 (XL) this year into a 536 km orbit, the Indian Space Research Organisation website said.
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