Renowned ISRO scientist N Valarmathi, known for her distinctive voice that guided India through numerous space mission countdowns, has sadly passed away. Her untimely demise, attributed to a heart attack in Chennai, has deeply saddened the scientific community.
Dr. PV Venkitakrishnan, a former ISRO director, took to social media to offer his condolences. He acknowledged that Valarmathi’s voice was synonymous with Chandrayaan-3’s final countdown, expressing his sorrow: “The voice of Valarmathi Madam will not be there for the countdowns of future missions of ISRO from Sriharikotta. Chandrayaan 3 was her final countdown announcement. An unexpected demise. Feel so sad. Pranams!”
Numerous individuals, some fortunate enough to have worked closely with her, paid heartfelt tributes on various social media platforms. One user recalled her role in the Vikram-S launch, writing, “Very, very sad to hear this. We worked closely with her for our Vikram-S launch last year, for which she was the voice for the launch countdown.”
Another user acknowledged her contribution to the nation, stating, “Jai Hind… she will be remembered as her countdown… finally ended and gave us Shivshakti point at the moon.”
The absence of Valarmathi’s familiar voice during the Aditya-L1 launch had not gone unnoticed, as one user shared, “I noticed her absence during the #AdityaL1 launch. I thought she might be out of the office or something. But I didn’t expect this sad news. I’ll really miss her. Om Shanti.”
Valarmathi’s legacy includes her pivotal role in India’s historic achievement of becoming the first country to successfully land on the moon’s south pole through the Chandrayaan-3 mission in August. This accomplishment solidified India’s position among the elite group of nations that have achieved lunar landings, alongside the United States, China, and Russia.
Valarmathi’s contributions to ISRO and her iconic countdown announcements will forever be etched in the annals of India’s space history. Her passing represents a significant loss to the scientific community, and she will be remembered with profound respect and admiration.
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