Prof U R Rao, 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 2005. The award will be presented to Prof Rao at the Award Dinner on October 16, 2005 at Fukuoka, Japan during the 56th International Astronautical Congress organised jointly by International Academy of Astronautics, International Astronautical Federation and International Institute of Space Law.

Von Karman Award is the premier award of the International Academy of Astronautics given annually to recognize outstanding life-time achievements in any branch of science. The award was instituted in 1987 in memory of Dr Theodore Van 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 and Dr Jacques E Blamont of France. Prof U R Rao is the first from a developing country to receive this Award.

Prof Rao had earlier received Alan D Emil Award for International Cooperation and Frank J Malina Award for Space Education. It may be recalled that Prof Rao was ranked among top ten international space personalities by the International Weekly, Space News, in August 2004.