ISRO Chief, S. Somanath, recently revealed in an interview that he was diagnosed with cancer during the Aditya-L1 launch. Aditya-L1 is India’s first solar observatory was launched on September 2. It travelled in space for 4 months and then finally took its place in the intended orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrangian point 1 (L1) on January 1. 

Somanath revealed his health condition in an interview with Tarmak Media House and talked about his health problems during the Chandrayaan-3 mission. He talked about getting a scan in Chennai and finding out about the growth in his stomach, which was a hereditary disease. All this happened on the day of the Aditya-L1 launch. 

He said that after the scan and the tests, he took immediate action and got ready for the operation. “Following Aditya-L1, I was advised to undergo an operation. The operation was performed. After that, I underwent chemotherapy,” he said. Somanath told his family and relatives about his cancer, they were shocked and couldn’t believe it. He said that his cancer is now cured and he is healthy. 

Somanath also talked about how after this experience in his life, he has a new perspective towards cancer. He said, “But now, I perceive cancer and its treatment as a solution. There is a message that it is not incurable.” S. Somanath has decided to get regular check-ups and take care of his health. He said that he still has to undergo some scans but he is cured now and has taken over his duties and responsibilities at ISRO. 

S. Somanath is a genius and an expert in the field of system engineering of launch vehicles. He has previously worked at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) as the Director and at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC). Currently, he serves as the secretary of the Department of Space and chairman of the Space Commission since January 14, 2022.