New Delhi: The identities of the four astronauts slated for the Gaganyaan mission, was revealed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, during his visit to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, (Group Captain) Angad Prathap, Ajit Krishnan, and Shubanshu Shukla, have been selected for India’s maiden crewed space expedition.
They hail from the Indian Air Force (IAF) with backgrounds as wing commanders or group captains. Their experience as test pilots equips them to swiftly handle unforeseen circumstances during the mission.
The astronauts were chosen through a selection process held at the IAF’s Institute of Aerospace Medicine and underwent rigorous training at the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Bengaluru facility.
The journey involved ISRO’s collaboration with Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of the Russian space agency Roscosmos. A memorandum of understanding inked in June 2019 facilitated the training of the astronauts at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre from February 2020 to March 2021.
Additionally, American Space agency NASA is set to train an Indian astronaut for a mission to the International Space Station by the close of 2024, as confirmed by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
The Gaganyaan mission aims to showcase India’s prowess in human spaceflight by launching the astronauts into an orbit 400 kilometres above the Earth for a 3-day expedition. Upon completion, the crew will safely return to Earth with a planned landing in Indian sea waters.
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