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Nambi Narayanan is an aerospace engineer who previously worked with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He came into the limelight in 1994 when he was arrested under false charges of espionage. Narayanan was later given a compensation of Rs 1.3 crore by the Kerala government. Recognising his contribution to the development of rocket science in India, the Government of India conferred Narayanan with the country’s third-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan, in 2019.
Professional Life
In 1969, Narayanan won a prestigious NASA fellowship that helped him find his way into Princeton University, where he gained expertise in chemical rocket propulsion. Upon returning to India, where solid motors were common, he introduced liquid propellant motors.
It was Narayanan and his team that developed the Vikas engine, used by ISRO for many of its rockets, including the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).
Espionage Charges
While working for ISRO in 1994, Narayanan was falsely accused of sharing confidential information about India's space programme to two Maldivian nationals, who allegedly sold the secret drawings of ISRO’s rocket engines to Pakistan.
Following this, Narayanan was arrested and released after 50 days. The charges against him were dismissed as false by CBI in 1996 and by the Supreme Court of India in 1998.
Recently, in April 2021, the Supreme Court of India, ordered a CBI probe into the conspiracy.
Rocketry (Film)
Narayanan was the subject of a 2022 Bollywood movie titled Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, a directorial debut by R. Madhavan. The biopic looks at Narayanan’s life at Princeton University, his work at the ISRO and the subsequent false allegations of espionage. The movie premiered at the 75th Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2022.