The Prime Minister today gave astronaut wings to the four selected for the space flight during an event at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced the names of the four astronauts that will fly to low-Earth orbit as part of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Gaganyaan, which will be the first crewed Indian space mission. To subscribe please click tau.id/2iy6f and access our live channel.
India is expanding its space in the global order and this can be seen in its space programme too, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today as he revealed the names of four astronauts part of the country’s human space flight mission Gaganyaan.
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The four astronaut-designates selected for the Gaganyaan mission are Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.
They are all either wing commanders or group captains in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and have extensive experience working as test pilots, which means they are already trained to be prepared to respond quickly in situations where something goes wrong.
Group Captain Prashanth B Nair
A Sukhoi fighter pilot, Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair is a Group Captain in the Air Force. He is the son of Valampil Balakrishnan and Koolanghaat Pramila. He joined the National Defense Academy (NDA) while he was a student at NSS Engineering College, Palakkad. He completed the training at the academy and was commissioned into the Air Force in June 1999.
Nair is a distinguished graduate, having received first-class honours from the US Air Command and Staff College and the ‘Sword of Honour’ from the Hyderabad Air Force Academy in 1998. A Category A Flying Instructor and a Test Pilot with approximately 3,000 hours of flying experience, Nair has flown Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Hawk, Dornier, An-32, etc
Group Captain Ajit Krishnan
Group Captain Ajith Krishnan was born on 19th April 1982 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He is a graduate from the National Defense Academy (NDA). He was awarded the President’s Gold Medal and Sword of Honor for that year for his outstanding performance at the Air Force Training Academy.
He has more than 2,900 hours of flying experience. He has experience flying various aircraft including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-21, Mig-29, Jaguar, Dornier, and An-32. Trained at the Defense Staff Services College (DSSC) in Wellington.
Group Captain Angad Pratap
He was born in Prayagraj on 17 Jul 1982. He is an alumnus of NDA and was commissioned on 18 Dec 2004 in the fighter stream of IAF. He is a Flying Instructor and a Test Pilot with approx 2000 hrs of flying experience. He has flown a variety of aircraft including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, An-32 etc.
Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla
He was born in Lucknow, UP on 10 Oct 1985. He is an alumnus of NDA and was commissioned on 17 Jun 2006 in the fighter stream of IAF. He is a Fighter Combat Leader and a Test Pilot with approx 2000 hrs of flying experience. He has flown variety of aircraft including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, An-32 etc.
Conclusion
The human space flight mission aims to launch a three-member crew into a Low Earth Orbit and bring them back after three days. The astronauts chosen for the mission have been trained in technical knowledge as well as physical fitness to ensure they stay well during the mission.
The Gaganyaan spacecraft, designed to accommodate the astronauts, is being developed with advanced technology to ensure the safety and success of the mission. The spacecraft will be equipped with life support systems, communication systems, and other essential features to sustain human life in space.
