Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed the identities of the four astronauts selected for India’s much-anticipated Gaganyaan mission during his visit to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, on Tuesday. Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, (Group Captain) Angad Prathap, Ajit Krishnan, and Shubanshu Shukla, all distinguished members of the Indian Air Force (IAF), have been chosen for this historic crewed space expedition.
Hailing from the IAF with backgrounds as wing commanders or group captains, these astronauts bring a wealth of experience as test pilots, equipping them to adeptly handle unforeseen circumstances during the mission.
The selection process for these exceptional individuals was held at the IAF’s Institute of Aerospace Medicine, followed by rigorous training at the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Bengaluru facility.
This significant journey was made possible through ISRO’s collaboration with Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of the Russian space agency Roscosmos. A memorandum of understanding signed in June 2019 paved the way for the astronauts to undergo intensive training at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre from February 2020 to March 2021.
In a remarkable international collaboration, the American space agency NASA has also confirmed its role in training an Indian astronaut for a mission to the International Space Station by the end of 2024, as announced by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
The Gaganyaan mission is a testament to India’s growing prowess in human spaceflight, aiming to launch the astronauts into an orbit 400 kilometers above the Earth for a 3-day expedition.
