Journey to ISRO

Please tell us about your early childhood and how your journey eventually led you to IIT Kanpur.

I was born on 25th February 1992 in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. My entire schooling—from kindergarten up to Class 12—was at Maharishi Vidya Mandir, a CBSE school in Jabalpur. Those years laid a strong academic foundation for me and also shaped my interest in science and technology.
After school, I pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Jabalpur Engineering College, completing it in 2013. During my undergraduate years, I became increasingly inclined toward deeper technical understanding and research-oriented environments. That motivated me to prepare seriously for the GATE examination.
I appeared for GATE in 2013, secured a good rank, and subsequently went through the written test and interview process at IIT Kanpur. After clearing them, I joined IIT Kanpur in 2013, which became a pivotal milestone in my academic and professional journey.

What influenced your decision to join ISRO? Did you consider any other career paths, and was your inclination toward ISRO or scientific research present from the beginning or developed during your engineering years?

From my childhood, I was always fascinated by the night sky. I used to look at the stars and wonder how they were formed and what lay beyond them. This curiosity stayed with me, but it became much stronger during my engineering years. At that time, the media coverage of major Indian space missions like Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan, IRNSS, and various rocket launches deeply inspired me. These achievements made me dream about working in space science and contributing to such missions.
Academically, I was on a path that typically leads to a software development career. As a Computer Science graduate from IIT Kanpur, the most common option for me was to join a large multinational company as a software engineer. However, my growing interest in space pushed me to explore a different direction.
I decided to appear for the ISRO recruitment exam, and I secured AIR 1. That success gave me the confidence to follow my passion, and I eventually joined the Space Applications Centre (ISRO). Looking back, the combination of childhood curiosity and the inspiration I received during my engineering years played a major role in shaping my decision to join ISRO.

Which experiences or mentors influenced your career path?

The biggest influence on my career path came from the outstanding work ISRO was doing during my formative years. Missions like Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan, and the strong media coverage around them, made a deep impression on me. Seeing India achieve such milestones sparked a sense of pride and curiosity, and gradually shaped my desire to contribute to space science and technology. These experiences created a long-term motivation in me, and ultimately led me to choose this field as my career path.

Do you have any fond memories of your IITK days?

I have many fond memories from my days at IIT Kanpur. Life in Hall-7—the canteen, the mess, the MT area, and the everyday interactions with friends and seniors—formed a very special part of my journey. The campus itself was beautiful and peaceful, with cycles everywhere, open spaces, and the constant chirping of birds creating an inspiring environment.
I was fortunate to learn from several exceptional professors, including Dr. Harish Karnick, Dr. Manindra Agrawal, Dr. Sumit Ganguly, Prof. Dheeraj Sanghi, Dr. Surendra Baswana, Dr. Sanjeev Saxena, and Dr. Anil Seth. I remember their teachings very clearly. Their guidance, along with the academic atmosphere and peer interactions, played a major role in shaping my thinking.
Those days at IITK gave me exposure, confidence, and experiences that I continue to draw upon in my professional career even today.

You have contributed to major missions like Oceansat-3, Cartosat-2S, Resourcesat, EOS-08, and the Microsat/Nanosat series. What was the most challenging project?

For me, the most challenging project was Oceansat-3. The mission plays an important role in studying ocean characteristics, especially in deriving chlorophyll concentration, which acts as a proxy for locating potential fish zones. These advisories are shared with fishermen across India and directly support their livelihoods. Because of this social impact, the responsibility felt even greater.
The sensor on Oceansat-3 is one of the best in the world for ocean colour studies. It uses lowcost indigenous hardware, a novel data acquisition scheme, and several advanced software algorithms. I was responsible for developing the end-to-end processing pipeline for this mission. Initially, many people felt that the complexity of the system might limit its performance. But with ISRO’s strong review culture, rigorous testing, and continuous refinement, we were able to overcome every challenge.
When the satellite was finally launched and the data started coming in, everything worked exactly as planned. Even today, Oceansat-3 continues to deliver excellent-quality data, and fishermen across the country benefit from the advisories generated using this mission for their livelihood.

How has AI helped make satellite data easier to process and interpret, and could you explain this in simple terms for readers who may not be familiar with the topic?

With so many satellites in space today—more than a thousand observing the Earth—the amount of data they send back is far too large for humans to check or interpret manually. This is where AI has become a game-changer. AI models can automatically find and correct errors in the data, process huge volumes of information within minutes, and even interpret patterns just like a trained analyst. With the rise of deep learning, LLMs, and agentic AI systems, satellite data processing has become faster, more accurate, and almost fully automated. This allows scientists and agencies to deliver useful insights—like weather alerts, ocean information, or crop health—even in near real time.

You currently lead algorithm development for missions like TRISHNA (Indo-French Mission), the G20 Satellite, and the Resourcesat-3S Stereo Mission. Could you tell us a little about these projects and your role?

I am currently involved in three important upcoming missions, each of which has a unique global purpose.
TRISHNA is a collaborative mission between ISRO and CNES (France). Its main objective is to study water stress, which means understanding how much water plants are losing and how efficiently they are using it. In simple terms, water stress tells us whether crops, forests, or natural vegetation are getting enough water or facing shortages. TRISHNA is the first mission of its kind in the world, and its data will support agriculture, drought monitoring, climate studies, and sustainable water management.
The G20 Satellite is another unique mission, conceived by the Government of India and implemented by ISRO. It aims to study climate change, pollution levels, forest fires, and environmental impacts across the globe. It is a collaborative effort among all G20 countries, with India playing a central role by providing the satellite platform, payloads, and launch vehicle. The mission will create a shared global system for monitoring Earth’s health.
The Resourcesat-3S Stereo Mission focuses on generating high-resolution 3D maps of the Earth. It will help track how terrain elev­ations change over time due to human activities, earthquakes, landslides, and other natural processes. These 3D datasets will be extremely valuable for urban planning, hydrology, flood modelling, infrastructure development, and disaster management.
Across all these missions, I lead the development of the algorithmic and processing pipelines that convert raw satellite data into usable and actionable products.

You recently received the Vigyan Yuva Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award 2025. How did you feel when you received this award?

I felt truly ecstatic, and it is difficult to express that feeling in words. I consider this recognition a blessing from my parents, grandparents, mentors, seniors, all well-wishers who have guided and supported me throughout my journey and the constant support from my wife. Having my work recognised at the national level means a great deal to me. It is both an honour and a motivation, encouraging me to contribute even more meaningfully to science and to future national missions.

Many students dream of working at ISRO. What advice would you give to young researchers who want to pursue their career in space science, data processing, or AI-related fields?

I would encourage students to stay curious, keep learning new technologies, and follow the exciting innovations happening in space science and AI. The global space economy is growing rapidly, and India is emerging as a major player. With the new Indian Space Policy, the space sector has opened up in a big way to private companies and startups. Today, more than 200 young space startups have already come up in India, working on everything from satellites and rockets to AI-based analytics and data processing.
My advice is to actively explore what is happening around the world—how space technology, AI, data science, and even quantum computing are being used to solve real problems. Look at those challenges, think creatively, and ask yourself what new problems you can solve using these technologies.
Whether one joins ISRO or builds a startup, the goal should be to innovate and contribute to India’s leadership in the global space sector. This is a great time to be in this field, and young researchers can play a major role in shaping its future.

Besides your hard work, who would you say played a key role in your achievement at such an early age?

My parents and grandparents have been my biggest source of strength since childhood. The constant support of my wife, and the guidance of my mentors, seniors, and well-wishers, have helped me at every stage.
I would also credit the culture of ISRO and the Space Applications Centre, which offers a unique environment for learning, collaboration, and exposure to multidisciplinary work in space science and technology. All of these together have shaped my growth and contributed to whatever I have achieved so far.

How do you like to spend your free time?

In my free time, I enjoy reading and exploring the latest developments in space science from around the world. I also like travelling, and whenever I get a break or vacation, I try to visit new places and experience something different.

We sincerely thank Mr. Ankur Garg for sharing his time and story with us.