Indian space pioneer Udupi Ramachandra Rao passes away

Udupi Ramachandra Rao, the grand old man of Indian space programme, is no more.

Professor Rao, 85, passed away in his Indira Nagar home in Bengaluru a little before 3 a.m. on Monday, a source in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)confirmed.

Active almost until his last days, Professor Rao had been to his office in the Department of Space’s Antariksh Bhavan about three weeks back, the source said.