Who is Nagaland’s Dr Belenso T Yimchunger who worked in ISRO’s reusable launch vehicle, Pushpak? Know more here

Belenso, an alumni of the National Institute of Technology in Nagaland, has played a pivotal role in the development of ISRO's reusable launch vehicle, Pushpak

As a young boy, he used to build things from scratch. Few years later Dr Belenso T Yimchunger, a scientist from Nagaland, ended up playing a key role in the development of ISRO’s reusable launch vehicle, Pushpak.

His contributions have been acknowledged and lauded by ISRO Chairman S Somnath in a letter to Dr Yimchunger and his colleagues who worked on the ambitious project.

Dr Belenso is an alumni of the National Institute of Technology in Nagaland and is a soil scientist who is now associated with ISRO.

“Your innovative ideas and dedicate efforts have significantly impacted the advancement of this crucial technology,” the ISRO chairman Dr S Somanath said in a letter of gratitude for RLV-LEX-20 contributions, written on March 24, earlier this year.

Pushpak cleared the third and final test in the series of Landing EXperiment (LEX) on June 23.

According to a statement by the space agency, the third and final test was carried out at 07:30 IST on June 23, 2024 at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) located in Karnataka’s Chitradurga.

“Hat-trick for ISRO in RLV LEX! ISRO achieved its third (and final) consecutive success in the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Landing EXperiment (LEX) on June 23, 2024. “Pushpak” executed a precise horizontal landing, showcasing advanced autonomous capabilities under challenging conditions. With the objectives of RLV-LEX accomplished, ISRO embarks into RLV-ORV, the orbital reusable vehicle,” ISRO wrote on X.
The winged vehicle, named ‘Pushpak’, was released from an Indian Air Force Chinook Helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km.

Nagaland PHED Minister Jacob Zhimomi congratulated Yimchunger in a post on X and wrote, “People like Dr. Belenso T. Yimchunger are the kinds of icons young Nagas should take inspiration from. From a remote corner of Nagaland, India has found a gem who will go on to accomplish greater things for the country in the near future.

As his story gains traction, his obsession with science and technology will infuse renewed hope and enthusiasm for scientific temper in Naga kids.”

https://x.com/jacob_zhimomi/status/1805420102948733007

In 2023, Dr Yimchunger innovated the ‘Pungro Power Soil’ that converted soil collected from his hometown Pungro in Kiphire district, Nagaland, into electricity.

Earlier in 2022, Dr Yimchunger, son of a retired electrician, built an indigenous voice activated light control system which he named ‘TIGER’. He built it albeit the limited resources available.

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