The Global Energy Parliament announced today that it has selected Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman Dr. S. Somanath for its 2023 international award.
The ‘GEP Governor’s Excellence Award’ was constituted to recognize outstanding global contributions to science, and will be presented at the 2023 session of GEP conducted on the theme of ‘Science and Faith’.
Dr. Sreedhara Panicker Somanath is an Indian aerospace engineer serving as the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Under his leadership, ISRO carried out the third Indian lunar exploration mission named Chandrayaan-3, making India the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the lunar south pole and the fourth country to demonstrate soft landing on the Moon.
Educated at the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Thangal Kunju Musaliar College of Engineering, Kollam, University, Dr. Somanath is known for his contributions to launch vehicle design, particularly in the areas of launch vehicle systems engineering, structural design, structural dynamics, and pyrotechnics.
The Global Energy Parliament has a history of presenting awards to distinguished global personalities for their contributions to sustainability and peace. The GEP Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Sir James Mancham, the Founding President of the Republic of Seychelles. The GEP Peace Award was presented to Ambassador Sergey Batsanov, the Director of Pugwash Conferences for Science and World Affairs, Nobel Laureate.
The ‘GEP Governor’s Excellence Award’ carries a 1 lakh rupee cash prize, memento and citation.