India makes shortlist of astronauts for first manned space flight

India made an initial shortlist of astronauts for its ambitious mission that will use a locally-made space vehicle to orbit the Earth before 2022.

The Indian Air Force, which is playing a key role in implementing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of gaining manned space mission capability, has short-listed test pilots after clinical, radiological and physical exercise tests, it said in a Twitter post. It did not give any details on the number of pilots chosen.

The government has previously said at least one of the astronauts in the $1.4 billion mission, ‘Gaganyaan’ (Hindi for spacecraft), will be a woman.