Dharmendra Kumar "D.K." Sachdev Obituary (1935 - 2023)

It is with profound sadness, we inform you that our father Dharmendra Kumar (DK) Sachdev, born January 27, 1935 in Delhi, India, passed away peacefully on February 4, 2023 in Plainsboro, New Jersey. He spent his last days surrounded by his loving immediate family. Our father was happily married for 58 years to our wonderful mother Usha Sachdev nee Kapur (1941-2017) and missed her greatly after her passing. They were devoted parents to Abita Sachdev Nanda and her husband Basant Nanda, Amit Sachdev and his wife Sharmila Sachdev, and Subir Sachdev and his wife Usha Pasi. Papa felt great joy and cherished spending time with his 7 grandchildren, Monisha, Menaka, Nina, Anya, Shaila, Rohun and Rahul. We remember our father to be a loving, hardworking and disciplined person. He was an advocate for our education throughout our childhood and enjoyed spending time with us especially when traveling. Our parents were elated as each grandchild was welcomed into the family. Without their resilience and dedication, our family would not be what it is today. We will always be grateful for their love and support. Our father made significant contributions to technology and education, and was recognized for his professional achievements in India, and in the United States. He received an undergraduate degree at the University of Allahabad in 1953, and a Master of Science in Electrical Communication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore in 1956. In Bangalore, he managed research and development at Indian Telephone Industries, including the development of India's first indigenous satellite antenna. For this work he received the Vikram Sarabhai Award https://www.prl.res.in/prl-eng/list_awards_hoa from the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad in 1976. After moving to the United States with his family, he held various positions at Intelsat, Washington D.C from 1978-1996. He led engineering management for Intelsat spacecraft including the Intelsat Seven and Eight series. It was during this period that he provided the engineering support for NASA's successful 1994 recovery of the stranded Intelsat 603 satellite by the Space Shuttle. After retiring from Intelsat in 1996, he joined Worldspace, where he headed Engineering and Operations and established their two regions of operation in Africa and Asia. Worldspace is now part of XM Satellite Radio. He assembled a full engineering team for XM and obtained two US patents. In 2003, he received the Arthur C. Clarke Innovator's Award https://clarkefoundation.org/awards/ "for designing and implementing the world's first audio broadcasting satellite". (Subsequent recipients of this award include Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Fabiola Gianotti.) He ran his own private company, Spacetel Consultancy LLC, since 2000. In 2009, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame https://www.sspi.org/cpages/hof-sachdev of the Space & Satellite Professionals International. He enjoyed teaching and was an adjunct professor at George Mason University between 2000 and 2020, where he taught graduate classes on systems engineering for telecommunications (see his profile in the GMU newsletter https://tinyurl.com/2j7brxk6. He authored Business Strategies in Satellite Systems, and he edited two other books - Recent Successful Satellite Systems and Visions for the Future, and Success Stories in Satellite Systems. May he rest in peace. Our father will live in our hearts and our memories forever, and we will miss him dearly - especially when we gather as a family. A memorial service will be held at Ruby Memorial, 2050 Rt 130, North Brunswick, NJ 08902 on Saturday February 11 at 11:30 AM. Abita Sachdev Nanda, Amit Sachdev, and Subir Sachdev **Funeral Puja, Viewing & Last Rites / Cremation: Saturday February 11, 2023 11:30 am - 1:30 pm (EST USA) Ruby Memorial Funeral Home 2050 Route 130 North Brunswick, NJ 08902** **Cremation Immediately Following: The Crematory Chapel at Holy Cross East Brunswick (Jamesburg/Monroe), NJ** Funeral will be LIVE STREAMED on YouTube Live Channel Below: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClW0vSTFex88Ib3X-NauqbQ Arrangements are under the respectful care and direction of Funeral Director: Christine Cuoco of Ruby Memorial. Family & Friends may offer prayers and condolences at: www.rubymemorialhome.com