AS THE INDIAN Space Research Organisation (Isro) gears up for Gaganyaan, its first human spaceflight mission, scheduled for 2025, the excitement is palpable. The question is not whether Isro can send a crew into a low-Earth orbit but when a woman will get there. (The four candidates training for the first flight are all men and Indian Air Force pilots.) For Isro, sending a woman into space is not a big deal; it’s the next logical step. Women account for over a quarter of its scientific and technical workforce, holding key posts, leading teams and driving innovation.
Take Neelavathy M., 58, senior scientist and Deputy Director at Isro’s UR Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru. Her first significant achievement was nearly a decade ago when she led the team that designed a communication system for Mangalyaan, the Mars Orbiter Mission or MOM. She also recalls her recent responsibility of leading a team configuring the GSAT-7 series of satellites. “With tight deadlines and immense pressure, we worked in perfect
