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Annapurni Subramaniam Wins COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal 2026, First Indian Woman to Do So — UPSC Current Affairs 2026

Awards & Honours4 Aug 2026

Annapurni Subramaniam Wins COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal 2026, First Indian Woman to Do So

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1
Astrophysicist Annapurni Subramaniam has been awarded the COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal for 2026.
2
She is the first Indian woman scientist to receive the medal, the fourth Indian overall, and only the third woman globally.
3
She is Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru — the first woman to head the institute — and her work covers stellar populations, star clusters and galaxy evolution.
4
The medal was instituted in 1990 in honour of Vikram Sarabhai and is awarded jointly by COSPAR and ISRO to scientists from developing countries.
5
Earlier Indian recipients were U.R. Rao (1996), Gurbax Singh Lakhina (2014) and Anil Bharadwaj (2024).

●Award: COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal 2026
●Recipient: Dr Annapurni Subramaniam, astrophysicist
●Firsts: first Indian woman to win it; fourth Indian overall; third woman worldwide
●Position: Director, Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru — its first woman Director
●Research areas: stellar populations, star clusters and galaxy evolution
●Instituted: 1990, in honour of Dr Vikram Sarabhai
●Awarded jointly by: Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
●Purpose: to recognise scientists from developing countries for outstanding contributions to space research
●Frequency: presented at the COSPAR Scientific Assembly, held once every two years

1996

U. R. Rao

2014

Gurbax Singh Lakhina

2024

Anil Bharadwaj

2026

Annapurni Subramaniam — first Indian woman recipient

Committee on Space Research (COSPAR)

International scientific body promoting space research; affiliated to the International Science Council and associated with the UN through UN-COPUOS. Holds its Scientific Assembly every two years

Head: President, COSPARHQ: Paris, France

Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)

Autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, engaged in astronomy and astrophysics research; operates observatories including Kavalur and Hanle

Head: Director Annapurni SubramaniamHQ: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

India's national space agency, which co-awards the medal with COSPAR

Head: Chairman, ISROHQ: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Dr Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai, born on 12 August 1919 at Ahmedabad, is regarded as the father of the Indian space programme. He founded the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad in 1947 and persuaded the government that a developing country needed space technology precisely because it was poor — for communications, education, weather forecasting and resource mapping rather than prestige. He established the Indian National Committee for Space Research in 1962, which became ISRO in 1969, and set up the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in Kerala. He died on 30 December 1971. The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thiruvananthapuram, ISRO's lead centre for launch vehicle development, carries his name, as does the eligibility principle of this medal — that scientific work from developing nations deserves recognition on the international stage.

●The candidate's relevant work must have been carried out mainly in a five-year period preceding the Assembly at which the medal is presented
●COSPAR was established in 1958, the year after the launch of Sputnik-1
●COSPAR is affiliated to the International Science Council and works with the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-COPUOS)
●The COSPAR Scientific Assembly is held once every two years
●The medal recognises scientists from developing countries, not from any country

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Expected Questions

★The COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal is jointly awarded by COSPAR and which Indian organisation?
★Who became the first Indian woman to win the COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal?
★SSC pattern: In which year was the Vikram Sarabhai Medal instituted?

Key Terms

COSPAR

Committee on Space Research, an international scientific organisation founded in 1958 and affiliated to the International Science Council.

Vikram Sarabhai Medal

Instituted in 1990, awarded jointly by COSPAR and ISRO to scientists from developing countries for contributions to space research.

UN-COPUOS

United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, with which COSPAR is associated.

Indian Institute of Astrophysics

Bengaluru-based autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, engaged in astronomy and astrophysics.

Stellar populations

Groups of stars classified by age, chemical composition and motion, used to reconstruct how galaxies formed.

priority_highMust Remember

•Annapurni Subramaniam: COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal 2026; first Indian woman, fourth Indian, third woman globally
•She is Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru
•Medal instituted in 1990; awarded jointly by COSPAR and ISRO
•Earlier Indian winners: U.R. Rao (1996), Gurbax Singh Lakhina (2014), Anil Bharadwaj (2024)
•COSPAR established in 1958; Scientific Assembly held every two years

tips_and_updatesExam Tips

•Distinguish this from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (Thiruvananthapuram) and the Sarabhai crater on the Moon — all three carry the name and all three are asked.
•The eligibility restriction to developing-country scientists is a frequent statement-type question; do not assume the medal is open to all nationalities.

Question 1 of 3Score: 0/0

Factual

The COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal is awarded jointly by COSPAR and which organisation?

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Current Affairs Pulse

Annapurni Subramaniam Wins COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal 2026, First Indian Woman to Do So

Key Points

Quick Facts

Key Data & Numbers

Important Bodies

Committee on Space Research (COSPAR)

Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Background

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Exam Spotlight

Exam Relevance

Expected Questions

Key Terms

priority_highMust Remember

tips_and_updatesExam Tips

Practice Quiz

The COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal is awarded jointly by COSPAR and which organisation?

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