Shining bright: ISRO’s solar mission chief Nigar Shaji on her eventful career

Nigar Shaji, project director of ISRO’s Aditya L1 solar mission, on her journey in space exploration

“Yes, I’m a very strict boss,” says Nigar Shaji, project director of Aditya L1, the solar mission launched by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on September 2, and then giggles ... “but only at work.”

ISRO’s recent missions have raised the profile of the nation in the world, based as they are, on a unique blend of frugal engineering, innovation and meticulous planning.

And Nigar, 59, is one of the many women scientists who have successfully steered ISRO’s missions without much fanfare.

On a brief visit to Tiruchi for an award programme hosted by Tiruchirapalli Regional Engineering College Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Park (TREC-STEP) recently though, Nigar Shaji got a rock star’s reception. She patiently posed for selfies and group photos and then quietly made her way out of the hall for a chat with MetroPlus.

“That’s the only thing that has changed after Aditya L1; I seem to have become more famous,” she laughs. “It’s still very new to me.”

Aditya L1 is the first space-based Indian mission to study the Sun. “There is no life on Earth without the Sun, but even now we cannot say we have understood it properly. Our mission will focus on phenomena like coronal mass ejection, solar plays and solar wind,” Nigar says. “It would aid in creating a better space weather model; accurate predictions will save our space assets.”