Indian Space and Research Organization (ISRO) scientist N Valarmathi, known for her iconic voice during rocket countdowns, passed away on Saturday. Her most recent countdown took place during the launch of Chandrayaan-3, India’s ambitious lunar mission that made history.
A former ISRO director, Dr. PV Venkitakrishnan, took to X, formerly Twitter, to express condolences on her passing, writing, “The voice of Valarmathi Madam will not be there during the countdown of ISRO’s future missions from Sriharikotta. Chandrayan 3 was her last countdown announcement. An unexpected demise. Feel so sad. Pranams!”
See the tweet here:
Valarmathi Madam’s voice will not be there in the countdown of ISRO’s future missions from Sriharikotta. Chandrayan 3 was her last countdown announcement. An unexpected demise. Feel so sad.Pranams! pic.twitter.com/T9cMQkLU6J
— dr. PV Venkitakrishnan (@DrPVVenkitakri1) September 3, 2023
According to reports, she suffered a heart attack and died in Chennai on Saturday night.
A native of Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu, Ms. Valarmathi was born on 31 July 1959. She attended Nirmala Girls Higher Secondary School before graduating in engineering from Government College of Technology in Coimbatore.
The scientist joined ISRO in 1984 and played a crucial role in numerous missions. She was the project director of RISAT-1, India’s first domestically developed Radar Imaging Satellite (RIS) and the country’s second such satellite.
In 2015, she became the first person to receive the Abdul Kalam Award instituted by the Government of Tamil Nadu in honor of former President Abdul Kalam in 2015.
Condolences are pouring in on social media to pay tribute to the deceased ISRO scientist.
One user wrote: ‘So sorry to hear about the passing of Valarmathi ma’am. She was a true inspiration to many and her voice will be missed at every launch. Om Shanti. ”
Another commented: ”I noticed her absence during the #AdityaL1 launch. I thought maybe she was out of the office or something. But I did not expect this sad news. I will really miss her. Om Shanti. ”
A third said: ‘Very, very sad to hear this. We worked closely with her for our Vikram-S launch last year, for which she was the voice during the launch countdown.”
A fourth added: ‘Her voice heralded the beginning of the remarkable historical journey for the country. She will always be remembered at the iconic moment of Indian space achievement. May her soul rest in peace and may God give strength to her family.”