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In this system, the project director presided over a small team of experts from different
centres. This ensured that independent efforts of the entire ISRO community were co-
ordinated and channelized towards realising a common goal – be it a satellite or a launch
vehicle. Transparency and professionalism was also encouraged by involving specialists

from outside the organisation.

By giving the project director the ultimate say in every aspect of the project, Dhawan also

showed how red-tapism could be skipped to systematically execute sophisticated projects
within stipulated time frames. He insisted on a significant role for indigenous industry in
ISRO projects — today, hundreds of industrial firms, both public and private, manufacture a
wide range of space-quality hardware for ISRO.

He was also responsible for hand-picking young, bright and dedicated professionals
for ISRO, such as APJ Abdul Kalam to lead the project that developed SLV-3, India’s first
launch vehicle, Roddam Narasimha to lead the research being done at NAL, and UR
Rao to head the team that made the country’s first satellite, Aryabhata.

Satish Dhawan (left) and Roddam Narasimha (centre), with KR Narayanan (right)

Photo Source (http://connect.iisc.ac.in/2017/08/dhawan-introduced-a-new-personality-
to-iisc-roddam-narasimha/)

Moreover, he made it a point to encourage youngsters, give them the credit in the event of
success and shoulder the responsibility in case of failure. In this regard, India’s Missile Man
and former President APJ Abdul Kalam had once recounted his experiences as the project

director for the launch of India’s first launch vehicle, SLV-3.

The first experimental launch of SLV-3 took place on August 10, 1979, but it was a failure. In
the press conference that followed, Dhawan told Kalam that he would handle the situation.

This is what he said,

“Friends, today we had our rst satellite launch vehicle to put a satellite in the orbit. We
could not succeed. In many technologies, we have succeeded, and in a few more, we
have yet to succeed. Above all, I realise my team members have to be given all

technological support. I am going to do that and the next mission will succeed.”

The next time SLV-3 was launched (on July 18, 1980), it was a sensational success. The
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SLV-3 put a small 40-kg Rohini satellite into orbit in 1980, putting India truly into the space

Baby-safe Bio-degradable age). This time, Dhawan asked Kalam to handle the press conference along with his team
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