 "gaganyaan astronauts, gaganyaan")
Over five years after he announced that India would launch its own human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan-1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 27 revealed the names of four astronaut-designates who would "carry the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians to space".
At the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) at Thumba, near Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, PM Modi gave the "astronaut wings" to the four pilots of the Indian Air Force, out of which two to three will be selected for the final mission.
All of these four pilots are aged between 39-48 years and have a flying experience in the range of nearly 2,000-3,000 hours.
Meet the four Gaganyaan astronauts
Group Captain Prashanth Nair
Born in Kerala in 1976, Nair is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla. He is a recipient of the "Sword of Honour", an honour given to the best all-round cadet at the Air Force Academy. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in December 1998.
Nair is also an alumnus of the United States Staff College and has commanded a premier fighter Su-30 Squadron. He has flown a variety of aircraft, including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Hawk, Dornier and An-32. He has over 3,000 hours of flying experience.
After his name was announced, Malayalam actor Lena revealed that Nair was her husband. They married on January 17.
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Group Captain Ajit Krishnan
Krishnan was born in Chennai in 1982 and is also an alumnus of the NDA. He is a recipient of the President's Gold Medal and the "Sword of Honour" at the Air Force Academy. He was commissioned in June 2003 in the fighter stream of the IAF.
READ: National Defence Academy lauds announcement of Gaganyaan astronauts by PM
READ: National Defence Academy lauds announcement of Gaganyaan astronauts by PM
Krishnan, a flying instructor and a test pilot, has nearly 2,900 hrs of flying experience. He has flown a variety of aircraft, including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-21, Mig-29, Jaguar, Dornier and An-32.
Group Captain Angad Pratap
Pratap was born in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh in 1982. He is also an alumnus of the NDA.
Pratap was commissioned in December 2004 in the fighter stream of the IAF. He is a flying instructor and a test pilot with approximately 2,000 hours of flying experience.
He has flown Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier and An-32, among other aircraft.
Wing Commader Shubhanshu Shukla
Born in Lucknow in 1985, Shukla is also an alumnus of the NDA. He was commissioned in June 2006 into the fighter stream of the IAF.
A fighter combat leader and a test pilot with nearly 2,000 hours of flying experience, he has flown Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier and An-32, among other aircraft.
What is Gaganyaan?
The Gaganyaan mission is a project of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), which envisages a demonstration of its human spaceflight capability. Under the mission, a crew of three members will be sent to a low earth orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission. They will be brought back safely to earth by landing in Indian sea waters.
Gaganyaan mission launch date
The first flight of the Gaganyaan will be an unmanned test flight. It is expected to be launched at the end of 2024. It will be followed by the manned mission.
(With agency inputs)
