Somanath Claims K Sivan Obstructed His Rise to ISRO Chief

In his autobiography, ‘Nilavu Kudicha Simhangal’ (translated as ‘Lions that guzzled the moonlight’), S Somanath, the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), made startling revelations about his tenure and his predecessor, K Sivan. According to Somanath, K Sivan attempted to hinder his ascent to the position of ISRO Chairman, a claim outlined in his memoir.

Somanath’s account goes on to suggest that the Chandrayaan 2 mission experienced a premature launch without essential testing, resulting in its failure. He and K Sivan were both candidates for the ISRO Chairman role when A S Kiran Kumar retired in 2018, but K Sivan ultimately assumed the role.

Despite Sivan’s appointment as Chairman, he continued to hold the position of the director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), which led to confrontations with Somanath over the rightful directorship of VSSC. Somanath was only appointed as VSSC director six months later, thanks to the intervention of Dr B N Suresh, the former director of the space center.

Somanath further claims that K Sivan attempted to extend his tenure as ISRO Chairman beyond the standard three years of service, raising suspicions about the selection process for his successor, particularly involving the UR Rao Space Centre.

Somanath recounts instances of being kept away from Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Chandrayaan 2 landing and alleges that Sivan misrepresented the mission’s failure, attributing it to software errors instead of admitting the true cause.

Moreover, Somanath describes various factors contributing to the Chandrayaan 2 failure, including software errors, electronic assembly faults, incorrect algorithms, issues with satellite motion, and skipped tests. These very findings, however, played a crucial role in the success of the Chandrayaan 3 mission.

In response to these allegations, K Sivan declined to comment, stating, “I have not seen what the ISRO chairman Somanath has written about me in his autobiography. I have nothing to say on this matter.”