In doing so, Surendran had to coordinate with a team of around 250 people and 90 project managers and heads. But he humbly says, “My previous directors and the entire team have paved the way for the success of this mission.”A tough task master, and yet a go-to person, Surendran says there are no shortcuts to success. His mantra is simple: “Hard work. There is no replacement for it. Smart working is also needed. Both go together in today’s times.”Surendran was born in Tuticorin, one among four siblings, the first-generation graduates in his family. “My father P Nagarajan was an accountant in a private establishment, and ensured that all his children are well-educated irrespective of the then financial difficulties,” he says.Studying in a Tamil medium school till Grade 10, he was the topper winning a gold medal in the board exams at St Xavier’s Higher Secondary School, Tuticorin. He completed his graduation in Mechanical Engineering from the Regional Engineering College (now National Institute of Technology) in Tiruchirappalli in Mechanical Engineering with Honours and then joined ISRO at UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru in December 1987. “My first interest was always in space and science and when I learnt of the opening (in ISRO) I took it,” he says.He joined ISRO’s Mechanical Integration Division of Systems Integration Group and significantly contributed to projects from IRS-1C to the recent GSAT-30. Before becoming the SpaDeX project director, Surendran was the Division Head, Mechanical Integration Division. He carries vast experience in design and development of Mechanical Ground Support Equipment, Mechanical Housings for Subsystem Packages, Assembly Integration and Testing of Spacecraft, System Engineering and Project Management.He was awarded the ISRO Team Excellence award-2017 and Astronautical Society of India award-2019 for his overall contribution on spacecraft and related technologies.
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