Shruti Suman
N Valarmathi, the iconic voice behind ISRO’s rocket countdown launches, has passed away. Her final countdown announcement was during the launch of Chandrayaan-3, India’s historic moon mission. Dr. P V Venkitakrishnan, a former ISRO Director, expressed his condolences on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “Valarmathi Madam’s voice will be missed in future ISRO missions from Sriharikotta. Chandrayan 3 marked her last countdown announcement. It’s an unexpected loss. Feeling deeply saddened. Pranams!”
Reports indicate that she suffered a heart attack and passed away in Chennai on Saturday evening.
Born on July 31, 1959, in Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu, Valarmathi attended Nirmala Girls Higher Secondary School and graduated in engineering from the Government College of Technology in Coimbatore. She joined ISRO in 1984 and played a significant role in various missions. Notably, she served as the project director for RISAT-1, India’s first indigenously developed Radar Imaging Satellite (RIS), and the nation’s second such satellite.
In 2015, she received the Abdul Kalam Award, an honor instituted by the Government of Tamil Nadu in memory of the former president Abdul Kalam.
Condolences have flooded social media as a tribute to the late ISRO scientist. One user wrote, “I am deeply saddened by the loss of Valarmathi Madam. She was a true inspiration to many, and her absence during launches will be felt. Om Shanti.”
Another user expressed, “I noticed her absence during the #AdityaL1 launch. I thought she might be out of the office or something. But I didn’t expect this sad news. I’ll truly miss her. Om Shanti.”
A third person shared, “Very, very sad to hear this. We worked closely with her for our Vikram-S launch last year, where she voiced the launch countdown.”
A fourth user added, “Her voice marked the beginning of remarkable historic moments for the country in space exploration. She will always be remembered in the iconic achievements of Indian space endeavors. May her soul rest in peace, and may her family find strength.”
