Pioneer Eknath Vasant Chitnis, ISRO Founder and Satellite TV Visionary, Dies at 100

Eknath Vasant Chitnis, a centenarian who helped lay the foundations of India's space effort, died on October 22, 2025. After studying physics in Pune, he moved from All India Radio to the Physical Research Laboratory, collaborating with Vikram Sarabhai and building instruments for cosmic-ray research. His field assessments were crucial in choosing Thumba, Kerala, for the country's first rocket launches in 1963 and later identifying Sriharikota as the main spaceport.

Chitnis also recruited a young APJ Abdul Kalam to ISRO and oversaw the 1975-76 Satellite Instructional Television Experiment, which broadcast educational programs to 2,400 remote villages. Recognised with a Padma Bhushan in 1985, he later chaired the Press Trust of India and taught at Savitribai Phule Pune University.