Meet Sheena Rani, The DRDO Scientist Behind India's Agni-5 Missile Success
Mission Divyastra is first flight test of homegrown Agni-5 ICBM with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle technology (MIRV)
On Monday when Mission Divyastra, the first flight test of homegrown Agni-5 ICBM with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle technology (MIRV) was carried out successfully, it added more firepower to India's defence capabilities.
It is also a glorious achievement for the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) and missile expert Sheena Rani spearheaded the project.
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Who is Sheena Rani
The 57-year-old led the missile project as programme director at Hyderabad-based Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) of DRDO.
Born in Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram, Rani graduated in electronics and communications engineering from Kerala University and began her career at ISRO¡¯s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.
After working at VSSC for eight years, Rani joined DRDO in 1999, soon after the Pokhran-II nuclear tests.
She has been working on the launch control systems for the entire Agni series of missiles ever since.
Rani is married to PSR Srinivasa Sastry, who was also a DRDO scientist.
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Inspired by Dr. Kalam
According to Rani, her inspiration is the missile man of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, who also began his career with the VSSC before moving to DRDO, just like her.
Rani is the second woman scientist after Tessy Thomas, who has played a major role in the development of the Agni series of missiles.
Mission Divyastra
The flight test of Agni-5, named Mission Divyastra, was carried out from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha. Various telemetry and radar stations tracked and monitored multiple re-entry vehicles. The mission accomplished the designed parameters.
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Agni 5 capabilities
The Agni-5 missile system is equipped with indigenous avionics systems and high-accuracy sensor packages, which ensure that the re-entry vehicles (warheads) reach the target points within the desired accuracy. The capability is an enunciator of India¡¯s growing technological prowess.
With the Agni-5 missile, India is only the sixth country in the world to have ICBMs where the payload contains several warheads, each capable of being aimed to hit a different target.
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