India's 'missile woman' to helm Agni-V

NEW DELHI: It���s indeed rocket science. And Tessy Thomas is going great guns at unravelling its complexities. India���s ���missile woman��� has been appointed the project director (mission) of India���s most ambitious missile, Agni-V , with a strike range of 5,000km, slated to be tested for the first time next year.

Thomas, 46, was made the project director of the new advanced version of the 2,500-km Agni-II missile last year after her role in the successful firing of the 3,500-km range Agni-III missile as an associate project director, as reported by TOI earlier.

Tessy Thomas, who played a crucial role in the successful firing of the 3,500-km range Agni-III missile as an associate project director has been assigned to Agni-V . Its test-firing will propel India towards having potent ICBM capabilities, largely the preserve of the Big-5 countries till now.

A BTech from Thrissur Engineering College, Calicut, and MTech from Defence Institute of Advanced Technologies, Thomas is an expert on ���solid system propellants��� which fuel the Agni missiles. Based at the Advanced Systems Laboratory in Hyderabad, Thomas has been associated with the Agni programme for around two decades now.