Aditya-L1, India’s first solar observatory, will orbit the Sun. Meet Nigar Shaji, who led the Aditya L1 solar mission. She joined Isro in 1987 and has worked hard for eight years.
The gentle and smiling Isro project director Nigar Shaji led the complex scientific mission of putting India’s first solar observatory Aditya-L1 at Langrang point L1 from where the spacecraft will do the ‘celestial surya namaskar’ of the Sun. She and her team worked tirelessly for eight years to make the mission a success.
Shaji, who joined the elite space agency in 1987, became India’s first solar mission project director. Former associate project director of Resourcesat-2A, which is still active, the 59-year-old is now program director for all lower orbit and planetary missions. She began her Isro career in the Sriharikota spaceport off the Andhra coast and eventually moved to Bengaluru’s U R Rao Satellite Centre, a satellite development center.
Shaji, born to a Muslim Tamil family in Sengottai, Tenkasi district, Tamil Nadu, attended Sengottai School before enrolling in Madurai Kamaraj University’s Government College of Engineering, Tirunelveli, where she received an electronics and communications engineering degree. She later earned a master’s in electronics from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra.
Shaji’s father Sheikh Meeran, a math graduate who chose farming, always encouraged her to do great things. Both my parents supported me growing up. In a recent media interview, she mentioned her success was due to their support.
Shaji denied gender discrimination at Isro. She reached this position thanks to her superiors’ assistance. Since I lead the team, many people work for me. I groom like my seniors,” Shaji stated.
Shaji and her crew began Aditya L1 in 2016. The Covid epidemic halted Isro activity about 2020, but project work continued. Her team worked on the solar observatory with seven scientific instruments launched on September 2 last year. Shaji and her crew monitored the spacecraft as it approached L1 from Earth after multiple maneuvers. After much effort, Aditya-L1 has achieved its target, the halo orbit, where it will monitor the Sun without interference.
The 59-year-old, who is important to multiple Isro missions, is now a role model for many women in space science.
Conclusion
Isro project director Nigar Shaji led the complex scientific mission of putting India’s first solar observatory Aditya-L1 at Langrang point. After joining Isro in 1987, Nigar Shaji has worked relentlessly on the mission for eight years. Her duties include program director for all lower orbit and planetary missions. After joining Isro in 1987, Shaji worked at Sriharikota and then the U R Rao Satellite Centre. In Isro, she has never faced gender discrimination and is a role model for many women interested in space research. Several Isro missions have relied on Shaji and her team’s dedication.
