Minal Rohit is an Indian scientist and system engineer at Indian Space Research Organisation. She was part of the team of 500 scientists, which sent the Mangalyaan space probe to Mars in 2013.
Wiki/Biography
Minal Rohit was born in Rajkot, Gujarat. While studying in the 8th standard, she was fascinated by seeing a space show on TV which changed her mind from earlier being a doctor. After graduating from Gujarat University in 1999, she pursued a B.Tech in communications at Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad.
Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad where Minal studied
She later attended Nirma University in Ahmedabad, where she was a gold medalist in electronics and communication engineering.
Family
Parents & Siblings
There is not much information about her parents and siblings.
Husband & Children
She is married and has a son.
Career
Minal started her career as a satcom engineer when she joined ISRO. Later, she was transferred to the Space Application Centre. She has worked in the Chandrayaan II project of ISRO as the project manager and head engineer. She has also laboured in the project to improve the Insat-3DS satellite for meteorological purposes.
The Mars Orbiter Mission
She played a vital role in developing the payloads, which were carried by the Mars Orbiter. She was deployed as the project manager as well as a system engineer and assembled the components, Lyman-Alpha Photometer (LAP), Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS), and Mars Color Camera (MCC) of the methane sensor (MSM). She was one of the 10 women assigned to the project.
Scientist Minal Rohit in the Clean Room at SAC Ahmedabad
Awards & Achievements
- Young Scientist Merit Award from the ISRO (2007)
- ISRO Team Excellence Award (2013)
- Minal was named one of CNN’s 2014 Women of the Year. ((CNN))
Facts/Trivia
- Minal was featured in a short film “Snapshots from Afar” after the success of the Mangalyaan mission.
Minal was featured in a short film Snapshots from Afar
- Minal and her colleagues were praised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a speech for their contributions to the Mangalyaan project.
- Minal, along with other scientists, contributed to the success of the Mangalyaan Mission, which made India the first nation in the world to enter the orbit of Mars in its maiden attempt.
- Minal Rohit also goes by the name Minal Sampat.
- Minal missed a seat in the dental course by a single mark and therefore opted for engineering.
- In 2017, she joined a campaign related to gender equality by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
India’s rocket woman, Ms #MinalRohit joins our campaign – #WeAreEqual @isro #ISRO pic.twitter.com/63cwWbLjsN
— Ministry of WCD (@MinistryWCD) February 27, 2017
