SALEM: Before rockets, laboratories, and satellites, there was a village that went dark at sunset. In Kadaiyampatti, a small town near Salem, electricity was once a rarity. Growing up in that town, where nights were lit by oil lamps, Kannan did not dream of space — he dreamt of light. Little did he know that the simple wish would eventually lead him from a government school classroom to the heart of India’s space programme.
Born in Kadaiyampatti, N Kannan completed his schooling at a local government high school. Engineering attracted him early, but his choice of discipline was deeply personal. In his village, many homes including his own had no power. In 1970, he joined PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore to study Electrical Engineering with the hope that one day, villages like his would be fully lit.
Graduating in those days meant stepping into uncertainty. There were no campus interviews, no placement cells. One had to embark on an exhausting job-hunting journey. Kannan had applied to three places — the Army, BSNL, and ISRO. A job at BSNL was considered secure then, often involving a year-long training programme. Kannan waited for his calling.
The call that finally came was from ISRO’s Thiruvananthapuram centre. Walking into the campus for the first time, he remembers being struck by the scale and seriousness of the place. Many warned him that ISRO was demanding, research-driven, and far from easy. He chose it anyway.
In 1971, Kannan joined ISRO as a technical assistant. Over the next three decades, he grew through the ranks; working across key centres — Space Science and Technology Centre, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, and the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit. His career progression mirrored the growth of India’s space ambitions, eventually rising to the level of scientist.
During his time at ISRO, Kannan was involved in developing motors, actuators, and control systems that power spacecraft and launch vehicles. “Each project is unique and each project is a challenge,” he says. Much of his work happened behind the scenes — components that never make headlines, but without which missions can’t succeed. He also worked with PS Veeraraghavan, one of ISRO’s most respected figures, known for his leadership in launch vehicle and inertial systems development.
After over 30 years at ISRO, Kannan chose to take voluntary retirement. He returned to Salem, intending to slow down and spend time with family. For six months, life was unhurried.
Then came an invitation. He was invited as a guest at an event in a private engineering college in Salem. A conversation with the college management followed. They felt that someone who had contributed so deeply to ISRO should not remain idle. Three months later, in September 2003, he joined the college as an assistant professor in the Electrical and Electronics Engineering department.
Teaching brought a different kind of joy. “Seeing young faces every day — it’s a happy place,” he said. Two years into teaching, the management proposed research activity. For Kannan, research was a familiar ground. He reached out to Veeraraghavan, who suggested starting with demonstration models for ISRO galleries — simplified versions of complex systems.
Kannan worked alone, with no support staff, spending six months developing a gyroscope model and more. Impressed, Veeraraghavan posed a larger question, “Why stop at models? Why not take up real developmental work?” That question led to the birth of SonaSPEED.
The idea was simple but powerful; ISRO required small, specialised motors and systems tailored to unique missions. Kannan could design and build them. What began as a single-person effort slowly became a team. Over the years, SonaSPEED contributed to many ISRO projects — designing precision systems for launch vehicles and satellites.
The work continued steadily, from Chandrayaan to Gaganyaan, and most recently, LVM3. Today, Kannan leads SonaSPEED while mentoring students and engineers. Age, he insists, is irrelevant. “Every new model gives new energy,” he says.
There are failures too, moments when designs don’t work. “You stop, rethink, and begin again,” he says. SonaSPEED largely sustains itself via project revenue — one project funding the next.
For Kannan, the joy lies not just in space hardware, but in continuity, shaping minds, and staying curious. During his ISRO stint, he also pursued completed his master’s degree in Electrical Engineering in 1986 from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad. In 2005, he earned a doctorate from a university in USA. His work took him abroad on deputations and international collaborations — to Germany, Russia, France, and Kourou, French Guiana.