Chennai: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has teamed up with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to establish a Centre of Excellence focused on research in ‘Fluid and Thermal Sciences’. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on November 11, 2024, with ISRO providing an initial seed funding of ₹1.84 crore to set up the centre.

The MoU was signed by Prof. Manu Santhanam, Dean (Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research) at IIT Madras, and Victor Joseph T, Director of the Directorate of Technology Development & Innovation (DTDI) at ISRO, in the presence of Prof. Arvind Pattamatta, Project Coordinator at IIT Madras, and other key stakeholders from both institutions.

The newly established Centre of Excellence will act as a central hub for ISRO’s research activities related to spacecraft and launch vehicle thermal management. It will also help address complex thermal challenges in the design, analysis, and testing of space components by leveraging the expertise of IIT Madras faculty.

The research areas will include critical topics such as spacecraft thermal management, combustion instability in hybrid rockets, and cryogenic tank thermodynamics. Along with the seed funding for infrastructure and equipment, ISRO will also provide additional funding for consumables, maintenance, and future projects in fluid and thermal sciences.

Prof. Arvind Pattamatta highlighted that the Centre will strengthen industry-academia collaboration, enabling ISRO scientists and IIT Madras researchers to jointly develop advanced thermal engineering solutions. He noted that the initiative aims to make significant contributions to India’s space program, supporting the country’s push for self-reliance in space technology.

BI Bureau