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Prahlad Chandra Agrawal, an eminent Indian astrophysicist, received the COSPAR Harrie Massey Award 2024 at the 45th COSPAR Scientific Assembly in Busan, South Korea, on July 15, 2024 . This prestigious award recognizes his significant contributions to space science, which have led to a minor planet being named 20064 Prahladagrawal in his honor . Under Agrawal's leadership, AstroSat, India's first multi - wavelength space telescope, was launched on September 28, 2015, by ISRO with a budget of Rs 400 crore . AstroSat continues to provide valuable data beyond its expected five - year mission . Developed by TIFR, IIA, and the U . R . Rao Satellite Centre of ISRO, AstroSat has contributed to over 500 scientific papers and 30 doctoral theses, with its data being available as open source for global research collaboration . Agrawal, a senior professor at TIFR, has an impressive academic background, having studied at Caltech and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory . He has played key roles in notable projects such as NASA ’ s HEAO - 1 A4 device and the Indian X - Ray Astronomy Experiment on the IRS P - 3 satellite . The COSPAR Harrie Massey Award honors significant contributions to space science, promoting international collaboration, and recognizing exceptional achievements in fields such as planetary science and space physics .