Who are the four selected Gaganyaan astronauts? Here is all you should know about the four astronauts
Narendra Modi introduced four astronauts-elect, Group Captain Prashanth Nair, Group Captain Angad Prathap, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla, bestowing them with astronaut wings.
Who are the selected Gaganyaan astronauts?
The four astronauts are — Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Angad Prathap, Ajit Krishnan, and Shubhanshu Shukla — Modi said at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) at Thumba near the Kerala state capital. All four astronauts-elect are Indian Air Force (IAF) test pilots from the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) in Bengaluru.
Group Captain Prashanth B. Nair, a Sukhoi fighter pilot, belongs to Kerala. The four pilots have been undergoing training for India's ambitious mission in recent years. All pilots has finished training in Russia and is currently acquainting himself with the mission's details at an ISRO facility.
It was reported that all astronaut-elects for Gaganyaan would be test pilots, given that it was India's first human spaceflight mission. After multiple rounds of selection, the final four test pilots were shortlisted by the IAM and ISRO. They underwent training in Russia in 2021 after facing some delays caused by Covid-19. Since then, the four have been undergoing various training modules in India, with the help of multiple agencies.
PM Narendra Modi also dedicated three important projects to the nation. These projects, completed on time, include the PSLV integration facility at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota; semi-cryogenics
