When the lander module of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, made a successful landing on the moon’s surface at 6.03 p.m. on August 23, celebrations broke out in Project Director P. Veeramuthuvel’s native place in Villupuram.
Until then, Mr. Veeramuthuvel’s father, Palanivel, his friends, residents of VOC Street and mediapersons had been anxiously counting down to the landmark moment.
Mr. Palanivel was overwhelmed with calls from well-wishers congratulating him on his son’s role in the country’s successful moon mission. Glued to the television at his residence, the retired railway employee said he was tense and apprehensive in the run-up to the event. “Only on hearing the wider applause among the scientists and others at the Mission Operations Complex (MOC) at ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), Bengaluru, did I realise that the mission was a success. I have no words to express my joy,” he said.
Mr. Palanivel said his son was totally dedicated to the successful completion of the mission. He was fully engaged in the project in Bengaluru, and did not visit his native place for around two years, he added.
Earlier, Collector C. Palani felicitated Mr. Palanivel for his son’s achievement.
Mr. Veeramuthuvel studied till Class X at the Railway Mixed High School in Villupuram. He went on to do a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering at a private polytechnic in the same town, followed by a B.E. at Sri Sairam Engineering College in Chennai.
He completed his postgraduation at the erstwhile Regional Engineering College in Tiruchi. He joined Lakshmi Machine Works, Coimbatore, as a Senior Engineer, and subsequently became a Design Engineer at the Rotary Wing Research and Design Centre at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bengaluru. He then joined ISRO as a Project Engineer and simultaneously completed his Ph.D from IIT - Madras.
