“Gender does not matter. You work as a scientist, not as a woman” Tessy Thomas known as the ‘Missile Woman’ of India, is an scientist at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is the first ever woman scientist to head a missile project in India. She served as the Project Director for the Agni IV and V missiles, making her the first woman to lead missile teams in India. These are intercontinental ballistic missiles that have very high ranges and are capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Dr. Thomas’ expertise on the solid propellent systems were critical in the development of the re-entry system of the missile, which helped it withstand great velocities and temperatures of 3,000 degree celsius on re-entering the atmosphere.

Dr. Tessy Thomas joined Pune Institute Of Aviation Technology (IAT), as a faculty member in Guided Missiles in the year 1986. She joined DRDL, Hyderabad in 1988. She was associated with the ‘Agni Programme’ right from its developmental flights. She has designed the guidance scheme for long range missile systems which is used in all Agni missiles. An energy management guidance scheme was designed and developed for the first time in the country for a solid propelled long range systems. She was conferred with Agni Self Reliance award in the year 2001 for this achievement. She has contributed in various fields such as Guidance, Control, Inertial Navigation, Trajectory Simulation and Mission Design. She has lead the project ‘AGNI-4’ as Project Director, for a state-of-the-art system, with many new technologies for the first time and which was successfully flight tested and proven. She was also Project Director (Mission) for the long range ‘AGNI-5’ system, which was successfully flight tested and proven. As Director, Advanced Systems Laboratory, DRDO, she has held multi-dimensional roles and responsibilities and lead the development of strategic missile systems from 2014 to 2018.

Dr. Thomas has received several prestigious awards for her work, including the ‘DRDO Scientist of the Year’, in 2008, DRDO Performance Excellence Award for 2011 and 2012, India Today Women of the Year award in 2009, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration in 2012, CNN-IBN Indian of the Year in 2012, Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya Award in 2016, and Outstanding Woman Achiever Award by Women in Science and Engineering (WISE). (Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology).