Recently, the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC), a premier institute under the Department of Atomic Energy, hosted its 19th Raja Ramanna Memorial Lecture. Organised at the Meghnad Saha Auditorium of the VECC-SINP campus, the annual lecture commemorates Dr Raja Ramanna, one of India’s eminent nuclear scientists and a key figure behind the country’s first nuclear test.
The lecture this year was delivered by Prof. Goutam Chattopadhyay, Senior Research Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, USA. Titled ‘Space Exploration and Our Place in the Universe’, the talk emphasised how space exploration inspires future generations, advances science and technology, and deepens our understanding of Earth and the cosmos. “We still don’t know if we are alone in the universe,” he said, focusing particularly on the search for water as a key to discovering life beyond Earth. He also explained how his team develops next-generation and low-power instruments.
Speaking to The Statesman, Sumit Som, Director of the institute, said, “This lecture started in 2005 in memory of Dr Ramanna. This year is particularly special as it is the 100th birth anniversary of Raja Ramanna. I am very much thankful to Prof. Chattopadhyay, and he has given an amazing and insightful lecture.”
At the end of the event, Prof Goutam Chattopadhyay engaged in an exclusive conversation with The Statesman, highlighting his journey from Nabagram, a village on the outskirts of Kolkata, to NASA.
Q. What first sparked your own interest in astronomy and space science, especially growing up in India?
We grew up in utter poverty, where we six siblings lived with our parents in a single-room house. My parents struggled, and sometimes we couldn’t afford two meals a day. When you go to bed hungry, you can’t fall asleep. So I used to dream. My brother and I used to wake up early to read the two newspapers available at our local club – one of them being The Statesman. That’s where I read science-related topics. These fascinated me and inspired me to work hard. I studied engineering in B.E. College (now IIEST, Shibpur) and took up a job in an organisation where I got the opportunity to work with Prof. Govind Swarup (widely recognised as the Father of Indian radio astronomy) and other noted scientists. That exposure opened my eyes and I realised I need higher education. I went to California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and my winter neighbour was Stephen Hawking.
Later, when I was about to complete my studies, I got a call from NASA regarding a job offer. That was my dream come true. I started working there, and just like the first day, it still feels exciting to work at NASA. It is because we are working on problems that no one has solved before. The more we explore, the more we realise how little we know; we’re only scratching the surface.
Q. Your research focuses on developing space instruments for the search for life beyond Earth. Can you share some of the technologies or methods being pursued, and how close are we to finding signs of life beyond Earth?
I’m an instrument builder, an engineer, a technologist, and involved with science for space instruments. The instruments we build serve three domains – astrophysics, planetary science and Earth observation. My focus is on terahertz frequency. In astrophysics, we are trying to understand how stars and galaxies are formed. Our understanding is still incomplete, so we are building sensitive instruments to look deeper into space. For Earth observation, I work on the stratosphere. For instance, if you burn something in Kolkata today, within two days, that pollution can reach California. This is transported through the stratosphere. We’ve built instruments that track how water vapour and chemicals move through the atmosphere. In planetary science, we study comets, asteroids, and other celestial bodies. This leads us to exoplanets, planets that orbit other stars. We’re building instruments to detect whether these planets have atmospheres. Detecting atmospheres is key to determining whether they might support life. So, I cannot give you a definitive answer when we are going to find life, but I can tell you we are making good progress in that direction.
Q. What recent discoveries or missions do you believe have most significantly altered our understanding of the cosmos?
If you look at what the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is doing, it is a game-changer. It was launched a couple of years ago, and since then, we have discovered galaxies and star-forming regions we never thought we’d see. Every new measurement adds excitement.
Science begins with a theory, but observations can challenge those theories. That is what is happening. JWST is amazing with discoveries that ask us to go back and revise our theories. Some of the things we are observing don’t align with what we predicted. That’s the beauty of science: we will have to be flexible enough to admit that our theory is not always fully correct.
Q. Recently, India has achieved remarkable successes in space missions. How do you see India’s space program contributing to global space exploration, and is there future scope where NASA might be thinking of collaborating more with organisations like ISRO and also other private institutions?
Firstly, India is doing exceptionally well in space. I’m really proud and have so many friends working in ISRO. If you see the recent progress, from Chandrayaan to Mangalyaan and now Gaganyaan, India is a key global player. And space exploration is becoming more expensive. So, a collaborative approach is the only way forward. One such upcoming collaboration is the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission (launched on 30 July 2025). This is a joint programme where one instrument is built by ISRO and another by NASA. The launch will be from India, and it’s a great example of partnership.
I will be the happiest person if we collaborate more and then, as we used to say as children: Doshe mili kori kaaj, Hari jeeti nahi laj. This is absolutely true, and this collaboration is crucial for future space exploration. This is where private entities also become important. For NASA, we encourage more private partnerships because then we can focus our limited resources on core science and instrument development, while private companies handle the rest.
Q. The theme of today’s lecture was ‘Space Exploration and Our Place in the Universe.’ How has space exploration changed the way we see our place in the cosmos?
I always refer to the ‘Pale Blue Dot’: that iconic image taken by Voyager 1. It reminds us that this tiny blue dot is the only place we know where life exists. That’s why I titled my talk in that way. The more we explore space, the more it gives us a better understanding of our place in the universe. We say that there is a possibility of life beyond Earth, but we still haven’t found any sign of life elsewhere. Until we find it, we must value the uniqueness of Earth.
Q. As an expert in microwave and terahertz technologies, how do you think these systems have revolutionised our ability to study planets and the universe? And could you explain how these technologies are critical to current and future space missions?
The first light of the universe is called cosmic microwave background radiation. Microwave energy is present in every aspect of our lives. These energies are even in technologies that we are operating in here, such as mobile phones and satellite communication. So, microwave technologies are building the next generation of instruments to tell us our place in the universe, and at the same time, the same technology is making our lives better on planet Earth. Many organic materials leave signatures in these frequencies, so if we’re looking for life beyond Earth, these bands are essential.
Q. Can you share any challenges you’ve faced while developing instruments for NASA’s missions?
Of course, we face challenges every day. Even though the motto of NASA is ‘failure is not an option’, we fail every day. But the best part is learning from them.
At NASA, for every mission, whether it’s successful or not, we have a database called ‘Lessons Learned’. It’s a resource for future missions. We always go back and review what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve. This is very important to make future progress.
Q. What can Indian research institutes do to become more involved in planetary science and instrumentation development at a global level?
I think India needs more investment in Research and Development (R&D). NASA and ISRO developed in different ways. ISRO originally focused on building communication infrastructure, and did an excellent job. Recently, they started doing more and more scientific exploration, and that’s why it’s very much needed that our research institutions and universities get proper funding. We have to work at the grassroots level, and only then will some of the great ideas filter up. The progress ISRO is making shows we’re on the right path, but we need to do more.
Q. What advice would you give to young Indian scientists who want to pursue a career in this field?
Everybody knows about astronauts, but behind every mission lies critical instrument development. This is why we need hands-on experience. There are so many engineering colleges across the nation. If the students can get to build some project hands-on, that’s when they will be coming up as trained individuals and will be contributing to the nation.
Also, we should focus on understanding the basics. Find your passion and try to understand the basics. No one can stop you. Don’t run after marks or scores. It is not important what marks you get; it is important what you learn. That’s what is going to help you. Understanding is more important than anything else.
Q. Looking ahead, what do you believe are the next major milestones in space exploration that we should anticipate in the coming decades?
If you had asked me this question a decade ago, I think many of us wouldn’t be able to predict the achievements we have made today. It’s hard to say. Currently, we are working on a lot of projects. A major focus, right now, is on returning samples from Mars. The Mars Sample Return mission is a big thing, bringing materials to Earth to study. We also aim to explore other planetary bodies. As I said, our knowledge is so limited for our own solar system, and that’s what we are trying to focus on for the next decade. For this reason, we have a Decadal Survey at NASA where we decide what the big questions are that we want to answer for the next decade. It sets the course for the future of space exploration.