Dr K Kasturirangan, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore and former Chairman of ISRO, has been awarded the most prestigious Theodore Von Karman Award of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), Paris, for the year 2007. The award will be presented to Dr Kasturirangan at the Academy Day Dinner on September 23, 2007 at Hyderabad, India during the 58th International Astronautical Congress organised jointly by International Astronautical Federation, International Academy of Astronautics and International Institute of Space Law.

Von Karman Award is the highest distinction of the International Academy of Astronautics given annually to recognise outstanding lifetime achievements in any branch of science. The award was instituted in 1987 in memory of Dr Theodore Von Karman, universally respected and legendary aerospace scientist and founder and the First President of IAA. Some of the past recipients of the Award are Dr Charles S Draper of USA, Prof Reimar Lust of Germany, Dr William H Pickering of USA, Sir Arthur C Clark of UK, Dr Hubert Curien of France, Prof Minoru Oda of Japan, Dr Jacques E Blamont of France and Prof U R Rao of India.

Dr Kasturirangan has made immense contribution to the Indian space programme including the development of launch vehicles and satellite technology, applications in the areas of remote sensing, communications and education that have greatly benefited the society. He has also played a key role in international bodies including International Academy of Astronautics and Committee on Earth Observation Satellites.

Last year, Dr Kasturirangan was appointed as an Academician of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Rome and was conferred the Honorary Fellowship by Cardiff University, United Kingdom.