Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday revealed names of 4 astronauts selected to travel to space on ISRO's Gaganyaan mission, the nation's first human spaceflight mission.
During a review of the mission's advancement, PM Modi awarded astronaut wings to the designated astronauts. The Gaganyaan Mission marks India's inaugural human spaceflight endeavor, with thorough preparations ongoing across multiple ISRO facilities.
Group Captain Prashanth Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla are the four astronauts designates for the Gaganyaan misison. All designates are pilots of Indian Air Force (IAF).
Group Captain Prashanth Nair
Gp Capt Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, born on 26 Aug 1976 in Thiruvazhiyad, Kerala, is an alumnus of NDA and a recipient of the Sword of Honour at the Air Force Academy. Commissioned on 19 Dec 1998 in the IAF fighter stream, he is a Cat A Flying Instructor and Test Pilot with approximately 3000 hrs of flying experience. He has piloted a variety of aircraft, including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32. Additionally, he is an alumnus of the United States Staff College and has served as a DS at DSSC, Wellington, and FIS, Tambaram. He has also commanded a premier fighter Su-30 Sqn.
Group Captain Ajit Krishnan
Gp Capt Ajit Krishnan, born on 19 Apr 1982 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, is an alumnus of NDA and a recipient of the President’s Gold Medal and Sword of Honour at the Air Force Academy. Commissioned on 21 Jun 2003 in the IAF fighter stream, he serves as a Flying Instructor and Test Pilot with approximately 2900 hrs of flying experience. He has piloted a variety of aircraft, including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Dornier, and An-32. Additionally, he is an alumnus of DSSC, Wellington.
Group Captain Angad Pratap
Gp Capt Angad Pratap, born on 17 Jul 1982 in Prayagraj, is an alumnus of NDA and was commissioned on 18 Dec 2004 in the fighter stream of IAF. He serves as a Flying Instructor and Test Pilot with approximately 2000 hrs of flying experience. He has piloted a variety of aircraft, including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla
Wg Cdr Shubhanshu Shukla, born on 10 Oct 1985 in Lucknow, UP, is an alumnus of NDA and was commissioned on 17 Jun 2006 in the fighter stream of IAF. He serves as a Fighter Combat Leader and Test Pilot with approximately 2000 hrs of flying experience. He has piloted a variety of aircraft, including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
