Eknath Vasant Chitnis, pioneer of India’s space programme, passes away at 100

Eknath Vasant Chitnis, who, along with Vikram Sarabhai, laid the foundation of India’s space programme, passed away on Wednesday. He had turned 100 in July and had been unwell for the past few days, suffering a heart attack on Wednesday morning.

A visionary scientist and institution builder, Chitnis played a crucial role in selecting the site for India’s first rocket launch at Thumba, Kerala. He was instrumental in establishing the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962, following a key meeting with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Sarabhai at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad.

Chitnis contributed significantly to the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), which brought educational programmes to 2,400 villages across six states using NASA’s ATS-6 satellite. He also played a key role in launching the Indian National Satellite System (INSAT) and developing remote sensing applications.

From 1981 to 1985, he served as director of ISRO's Space Applications Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad, mentoring young talent, including A P J Abdul Kalam, whom he nominated for the Satellite Launch Vehicle project and advanced international training.

Chitnis also served as chairman of the Press Trust of India (PTI) and as an independent director on various boards for over two decades. A Padma Bhushan awardee, he remained active in scientific and academic circles even after retirement, staying associated with Pune University.

Born in Kolhapur on July 25, 1925, Chitnis completed his schooling and higher education in Pune and later studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In July 2025, the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune and the National Centre for Science Communicators (NCSC) Mumbai hosted the Professor E V Chitnis Centenary Conference.

He is survived by his son, Chetan Chitnis, a leading malaria researcher at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, daughter-in-law Amika, and granddaughters Tarini and Chandini.
(With PTI inputs)