Eknath Chitnis passes away: Isro pioneer was 100; built India's first telecom satellite

NEW DELHI: Renowned Isro scientist Dr Eknath Chitnis passed away in Pune on Wednesday at the age of 100 . He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1985.

Dr Chitnis was one of the key figures behind the founding of the Indian Space Research Organisation, working closely with Dr Homi Bhabha in its early years.

He played a crucial role in developing India’s first telecommunication satellite, INSAT, which laid the foundation for the country’s progress in space communication.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar mourned his death, calling it the loss of a visionary in India’s scientific community. Pawar noted that Dr Chitnis’s initiatives in the 1970s made television accessible across the country, marking a new era of information.

ज्येष्ठ अवकाश शास्त्रज्ञ, पद्मभूषण डॉ. एकनाथ चिटणीस यांच्या निधनानं देशाच्या वैज्ञानिक क्षेत्रानं एक दूरदृष्टी असलेलं प्रगल्भ व्यक्तिमत्व गमावलं आहे. इस्रोच्या जडणघडणीत त्यांनी बजावलेली भूमिका अत्यंत मोलाची आहे. त्यांच्या संशोधन आणि दूरदृष्टीमुळे भारतानं अवकाश क्षेत्रात अभूतपूर्व… pic.twitter.com/DR6KS16EvI

— Ajit Pawar (@AjitPawarSpeaks) October 22, 2025