Nagaland's Belenso T Yimchunger shines in Isro with Pushpak project. Who is he?

Dr Belenso T Yimchunger, the 22-year-old son of a retired electrician from Nagaland, has earned praise from the state's PHED Minister Jacob Zhimomi after he made a significant contribution to India's space programme.

Zhimomi praised Dr Yimchunger on social media, stating, "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."

 

WHO IS DR BELENSO T YIMCHUNGER? 

 

Dr Yimchunger, a National Institute of Technology Nagaland alumnus, is a soil scientist with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). His innovative ideas and dedication have greatly advanced crucial technology.

Dr Yimchunger, an alumnus of the National Institute of Technology in Nagaland, is a soil scientist now associated with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). His innovative ideas and dedicated efforts have significantly impacted the advancement of crucial technology.

He, along with his team developed the Reusable Launch Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) for ISRO, one of its most challenging projects. The RLV-TD aims to create technologies for a fully reusable launch vehicle to lower space mission costs. 

The RLV-TD, resembling an aircraft, combines the complexities of a launch vehicle and a plane. 

According to ISRO, RLV-TD is one of the most technologically challenging endeavours of the space institute towards developing essential technologies for a fully reusable launch vehicle to enable low cost access to space.

Acknowledging Dr Yimchunger and his colleagues' contributions, ISRO Chairman S Somanath wrote a letter, saying, "Your innovative ideas and dedicated efforts have significantly impacted the advancement of this crucial technology."

 

See the letter here: 

 

Pushpak, on June 23, 2024, successfully completed its third and final Landing Experiment (LEX) test at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Karnataka's Chitradurga.

 

YIMCHUNGER'S PASSION FOR LEARNING

 

Dr Belenso Yimchunger developed a keen interest in Science after completing Class 10. However, as the only son among three siblings, he remained in Pungro to care for his ailing mother, according to his interview with the Nagaland Tribune.

Despite this, he enrolled as an Arts student at the Government Higher Secondary School in Pungro town.

With no schools in Kiphire offering a science stream, he creatively obtained uniforms from various schools and attended different institutions to gain as much knowledge as possible. This even led to his expulsion from his actual school.

From a young age, his fascination with constructing things from the ground up propelled him to become a pivotal figure in the development of ISRO's reusable launch vehicle, Pushpak.