Dr. BN Suresh Suresh is a renowned aerospace engineer with accomplishments in space technology in the arena of launch vehicle design, aerospace navigation, control and actuation systems, vehicle electronics, modelling and simulation. During his career in the Indian Space Research organisation spanning around four decades, Dr Suresh had enough opportunities in partaking and shaping the space programme as well as in guiding it from pivotal positions. He has commendably held the post of Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the lead Centre of ISRO in launch vehicle development for the period 2003 to 2007. He was also the founding Director of the prestigious Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology established by ISRO. Dr Suresh took his degree in Science in 1963 and in Engineering in 1967 from Mysore University. Later he took his Post Graduate degree from IIT Chennai in 1969. He started his career in ISRO at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (then Space Science and Technology Centre) in 1969. Later he earned his doctoral degree in Control Systems from Salford University, UK under commonwealth Scholarship. At VSSC he has held various positions like Group Director Control & Guidance Group; Project Director, Inertial Guidance Systems Project; Deputy Director (Avionics) and Associate Director (R&D) VSSC before taking over as Director VSSC in 2003. Presently he is Member, Space Commission.

He is a fellow of several professional bodies like Indian National Academy of Engineering, Astronautical Society of India, Aeronautical Society of India as also International Academy of Astronautics. Presently he is President for System Society of India. He has served as Chairman for 5 years for astrodynamics session in the International Astronautical Congress being held annually. As Head of the Indian delegation for the United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space at Vienna, Austria he shouldered the responsibility to protect the interests of Indian Space Community in UN meetings for four years. He was also selected to chair the prestigious United Nations Scientific and Technical subcommittee dealing with Peaceful Use of Outer Space, in the year 2006. He has several awards and honours to his credit. Prominent among them are ‘Dr. Biren Roy Space Science Design Award’ from Aeronautical Society of India in 1993, ‘Agni Award’ for excellence in self reliance from DRDO in 1999, ‘ASI Award’ for contribution to rocket and related technologies from Astronautical Society of India in 2000, ‘Distinguished Alumni Award’ from IIT Chennai in 2004 and ‘Technical Excellence Award’ by Lions International in 2006. In addition the nation honoured him awarding Padma Shri in the year 2002. He has published more than 45 technical papers in national and international symposiums, conferences and journals and guided more than 500 technical reports in the area of launch vehicle design, mission, avionics and other associated areas.