Meet ISRO Chairman V Narayanan as he details space agency's plans for ESTIC 2026 to be held in Delhi from October 27-29

ISRO will showcase its emerging technologies at the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2026 in New Delhi from October 27 to 29, Chairman Dr V Narayanan said, adding that the event will focus on integrating scientific and technological efforts to help achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, according to All India Radio.

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, Narayanan said ISRO would present its emerging technologies at the three-day conclave, scheduled to take place in New Delhi from October 27 to 29. The event will bring together scientific institutions, government departments, researchers and industry representatives to discuss developments in key technology areas.

Who is ISRO Chairman V Narayanan?

Dr V Narayanan is a rocket and spacecraft propulsion specialist who took charge as ISRO Chairman, Secretary of the Department of Space and Chairman of the Space Commission on January 13, 2025. Before his appointment, he headed ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), where he served as director from January 2018 to January 2025.

He joined ISRO in 1984 and has worked across several areas of launch vehicle and spacecraft propulsion. He initially contributed to solid propulsion systems for sounding rockets, the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) and the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.

Narayanan completed his MTech in Cryogenic Engineering from IIT Kharagpur in 1989, securing the first rank, and earned a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the institute in 2001. He received a silver medal from IIT Kharagpur for his academic performance.

What are V Narayanan's key achievements?

One of Narayanan's significant contributions has been the development of India's indigenous cryogenic propulsion technology. After the country could not acquire the technology for the GSLV Mk-II vehicle from abroad, he played a key role in developing the Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) domestically and making it operational.

He also led the development of the C25 cryogenic stage for the GSLV Mk-III, now known as LVM3. As project director of the C25 programme, he guided the development of the propulsion stage that helped make the launch vehicle operational.

His contributions extended to the Chandrayaan missions. The propulsion systems developed under his leadership supported the LVM3 missions, including Chandrayaan-3, while the throttleable propulsion system used by the Vikram lander played a role in India's successful soft landing near the lunar south pole.

Narayanan also chaired the National Level Human Rated Certification Board for the Gaganyaan programme, India's human spaceflight mission. During his tenure as LPSC director, the centre delivered 226 Liquid propulsion systems and control power plants for ISRO's launch vehicles and satellites.

His honours include the Gold Medal from the Astronautical Society of India, the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Kharagpur, the National Design Award and the National Aeronautical Prize. He also received the APJ Abdul Kalam Award in 2023 and recognition for the Chandrayaan-3 team's achievements from the International Academy of Astronautics in 2024.

ESTIC 2026

According to an official statement, ESTIC 2026 will bring together 12 scientific ministries and departments of the Union government under a coordinated, whole-of-government approach. Organised under the guidance of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, the conclave will feature 12 thematic sessions covering emerging and future technologies.

Why are semiconductors a key focus at ESTIC 2026?

DRDO scientist and Director General (Technology Management) Anupam Sharma this month underscored the importance of semiconductors in contemporary warfare, pointing out that these components and technologies are used across almost every area of military operations, according to PTI.

He also projected that the semiconductor-related business segment could expand to $200 billion by 2035.

The DRDO is coordinating a dedicated session on 'Semiconductors and Next-Gen Chips', bringing together participants from the semiconductor industry, academia, domestic chip-development ecosystem and defence electronics sector.

Micron India Vice-President and Managing Director Anand Ramamoorthy will deliver the keynote address. Speakers will include Bharat Semi CEO Vrinda Kapoor, Netrasemi CEO Jyothis Indirabhai and IIT Madras Director Prof Kamakoti.

The session will examine semiconductor technologies, application-specific artificial intelligence system-on-chips, intelligence at the silicon edge and advances in microprocessors.

A panel discussion moderated by DRDO scientist and Director General (Electronics and Communication Systems) B K Das will include representatives from DRDO, Qualcomm, Tata Semiconductor, Bharat Electronics Ltd, Anant Systems and BITS Pilani.

India's ambition is to become a major global semiconductor hub by 2047, with interim milestones set for 2030 and 2035, as per a statement. A DRDO exhibition at the conclave will also display indigenous semiconductor and next-generation chip capabilities, alongside technologies developed by its laboratories for critical defence and strategic applications.

About the Author

Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X