Ritu Karidhal

Indian aerospace scientist leading Mars mission innovations and STEM gender equality initiatives

Ritu Karidhal is a pioneering space scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) known for her critical role in the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). As Deputy Operations Director for MOM, she developed trajectory optimization algorithms enabling the spacecraft to reach Mars on India's first attempt with minimal fuel consumption - a 40% efficiency improvement over NASA's comparable mission. Her work established India as a leader in cost-effective interplanetary exploration.

Post-MOM, Karidhal launched the STEM4Her Initiative, a national network providing mentorship and scholarships to girls pursuing STEM careers. This program has created 200+ all-girl robotics teams across rural India and partnered with UNESCO's Gender Equality Program. In 2022, she pioneered India's first lunar sample return mission Chandrayaan-3, focusing on water ice detection that could revolutionize future lunar colonies.

Karidhal's advocacy for gender diversity in engineering led to ISRO's 2024 mandate requiring 30% female participation in all technical teams. Her TED Talk "The Math of Mars" has been translated into 15 languages. The Royal Society honored her with the 2025 International Scientific Achievement Award, recognizing her dual contributions to space science and gender equity.