Gandhi credited Rao with the launch of India's first satellite Aryabhata in 1975 to the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) in 2013, that helped ISRO touch unparallelled heights.
"From the launch of Aryabhatta to the MOM, Prof U R Rao's contributions have taken ISRO to unparallelled heights. Very sad to learn of his demise," he said on Twitter.
Former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Udupi Ramachandra Rao passed away in Bengaluru today due to age-related ailments.