This was followed by research stints (1962–1968) on the physics of lightning at the University College of Science and Bose Institute under the eminent physicist Prof. Satish Ranjan Khastgir.

In 1969, he moved to Kuden-kenkyujo, Toyokawa, Japan to continue with his research on atmospheric electricity and lightning physics at the Nagoya University.

After spending a year in Japan, Manoranjan Rao joined the National Physical Laboratory of India for a brief stint.

[23][24] After his retirement from VSSC, he has worked on the lightning protection systems at STPI Earth Station, Technopark, Trivandrum and the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle launchpad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

[31] He was the Chief Editor of From Fishing Hamlet To Red Planet, a compendium of articles on the history of the Indian Space Research Organisation [32][33] and its sequel Ever Upwards: ISRO in Images, both considered to be the authorized and official history of Indian Space Research Organisation.