N Valarmathi, voice behind ISRO's launch countdowns, passes away

Valarmathi's final countdown was Chandrayaan-3 on July 14.

Published on: Sep 4, 2023, 07:06:11 IST

By HT News Desk, New Delhi

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Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist N Valarmathi, the voice behind the national space agency's rocket launch countdowns, has passed away.

ISRO scientist N Valarmathi (twitter.com/@DrPVVenkitakri1)

The agency's PRO told ANI that Valarmathi passed away due to a cardiac arrest, adding that she breathed her last on Sunday at a private hospital in Chennai.

“She was a part of the Range Operations Programme Office at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre where she used to announce the countdown on all launches,” the ISRO PRO said.

Condoling her demise, Dr PV Venkitakrishnan, a former director at the space body, said on X (formerly Twitter): “The voice of Valarmathi Madam will not be there for the countdowns of future missions of ISRO from Sriharikota. Chandrayaan-3 was her final countdown announcement. An unexpected demise. Feel so sad. Pranams!”

Politicians, citizens react

Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said: “Saddened to hear about the passing of N Valarmathi ji, the voice behind many @isro launch countdowns, including Chandrayaan-3. My condolences to her family and friends. Om Shanti.”

Lok Sabha MP Arvind Dharmapuri, Chandrasekhar's colleague in the BJP, posted on X: “That countdown echo which pounded our hearts during #Chandrayaan-3 has muted forever! Saddened by the demise of #ISRO scientist N Valarmathi ji, who lent her voice on countdowns for rocket launches, including Chandrayaan-3 mission, being her last one, has passed away due to cardiac arrest.”

An X user, meanwhile, shared a clip of Valarmathi's last countdown announcement: Chandrayaan-3.

Chandrayaan-3

The mission was launched on July 14 with the aim of achieving a soft-landing on the Moon's South Pole, a feat that was achieved shortly after 6pm on August 23, as scheduled. With this, India became only the fourth country to achieve a lunar soft-landing, the others being the United States, Russia, and China.

Also, India is the first nation to reach the Moon's South Pole.

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