Indian Scientists Prahlad Chandra Agrawal and Anil Bhardwaj Honored with COSPAR Awards

Tags: Awards

Indian Scientists Prahlad Chandra Agrawal and Anil Bhardwaj Honored with COSPAR Awards at 45th COSPAR Assembly in Busan, July 13-21, 2024. 

An Overview of the News

• Prahlad Chandra Agrawal received the COSPAR Harrie Massey Award.

• Anil Bhardwaj was honored with the Vikram Sarabhai Medal, a joint award from COSPAR and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

Anil Bhardwaj

• He is the Director of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, since 2017.

• His expertise includes planetary space sciences and solar system exploration.

• He has significantly contributed to ISRO's missions, including Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan, and Aditya-L1.

• This is the 2nd time the Vikram Sarabhai Medal has been awarded to an ISRO scientist; (Late) Prof. U. R. Rao received it in 1996.

Prahlad Chandra Agrawal:

• Former Senior Professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).

• Awarded a medal, citation, and a minor planet named (20064) Prahladagrawal by IAU.

• Noted for contributions to X-ray astronomy and was Principal Investigator for India's AstroSat (2015).

• Member of ISRO's Lunar Task Force for the Chandrayaan-1 mission.

COSPAR Harrie Massey Award:

• Named after Sir Harrie Stewart Wilson Massey, an Australian mathematical physicist.

• Recognizes outstanding contributions and leadership in space research.

About COSPAR Awards:

• Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) presents various medals and awards annually, recognizing exceptional contributions to space research across all fields covered by COSPAR.

• Some awards are presented jointly with other institutions or space agencies.

• Award recipients are honored by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) with the attribution of minor planets designated by the IAU Working Group on Small Bodies Nomenclature.

• COSPAR is the world's first scientific body for global cooperation in space research.

  • Established: 1958

  • Headquarters: Paris, France

  • President: Pascale Ehrenfreund