
As India and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) celebrated the success of the maiden docking of two satellites SDX-01 and SDX-02 in low earth orbit in the early hours of January 16, an apparently nondescript gentleman sat proudly smiling in the background.
He was Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission project director N Surendran, who on December 31, 2024 — when the PSLV-C60 launcher lifted off with the mission from Sriharikota — had exuded confidence that the experiment would be a success. That confidence rode on the hard work under his supervision of the mission.
Coming from a humble background, the 1965-born Surendran recollects his journey from a time when he watched the moon and the stars as a little boy sitting on the beach near his house in Tuticorin (now Thoothukudi) in Tamil Nadu, to taking over as the SpaDeX project director in 2023-end.
The challenging mission under Surendran was not just about docking two satellites in space. The mission also involved the PS4-Orbital Experiment Module (POEM-4), which featured using the spent fourth stage of the Polar Synchronous Launch Vehicle, which otherwise would be wasted as space debris. POEM-4 carries 24 payloads, of which 14 are from ISRO/Department of Space centres and 10 from academia and start-ups received through Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre. All experiments on this platform aim at supporting and enhancing India’s future ambitious space missions.
The experiments are ongoing. The SpaDeX mission is crucial for ISRO’s future projects — Chandrayaan-4 and future lunar missions, Bharatiya Antariksh Space Station, Gaganyaan manned space mission, missions to Mars and beyond.
When Surendran took over SpaDeX mission, configuration and design of the satellites was already completed, but challenging tasks like fabrication, implementation and testing were to be done. It was under him that soft docking and undocking trials were held and corrections made, which bore fruit on January 16.
In doing so, Surendran had to coordinate with a team of around 250 people and 90 project managers and heads. But he humbly says, “My previous directors and the entire team have paved the way for the success of this mission.”
A tough task master, and yet a go-to person, Surendran says there are no shortcuts to success. His mantra is simple: “Hard work. There is no replacement for it. Smart working is also needed. Both go together in today’s times.”
Surendran was born in Tuticorin, one among four siblings, the first-generation graduates in his family. “My father P Nagarajan was an accountant in a private establishment, and ensured that all his children are well-educated irrespective of the then financial difficulties,” he says.
Studying in a Tamil medium school till Grade 10, he was the topper winning a gold medal in the board exams at St Xavier’s Higher Secondary School, Tuticorin. He completed his graduation in Mechanical Engineering from the Regional Engineering College (now National Institute of Technology) in Tiruchirappalli in Mechanical Engineering with Honours and then joined ISRO at UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru in December 1987. “My first interest was always in space and science and when I learnt of the opening (in ISRO) I took it,” he says.
He joined ISRO’s Mechanical Integration Division of Systems Integration Group and significantly contributed to projects from IRS-1C to the recent GSAT-30. Before becoming the SpaDeX project director, Surendran was the Division Head, Mechanical Integration Division. He carries vast experience in design and development of Mechanical Ground Support Equipment, Mechanical Housings for Subsystem Packages, Assembly Integration and Testing of Spacecraft, System Engineering and Project Management.
He was awarded the ISRO Team Excellence award-2017 and Astronautical Society of India award-2019 for his overall contribution on spacecraft and related technologies.