- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
At an event in Kerala, the PM said the four individuals were not just four of them but four powers who will take the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians to space.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (27) unveiled the identities of the four astronauts slated for a historic journey to low-Earth orbit aboard the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Gaganyaan, a crewed spacecraft. The announcement took place during his visit to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the southern Indian state of Kerala.
The selected astronauts for India’s maiden crewed space mission are Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, (Group Captain) Angad Prathap, Ajit Krishnan, and Shubanshu Shukla. Hailing from the Indian Air Force (IAF) where they work either as wing commanders or group captains, they bring a wealth of experience with a specialized background as test pilots. The expertise equips them to swiftly respond to any contingencies that may arise during the mission.
The four members have been undergoing training at the space agency’s astronaut training facility in the southern city of Bengaluru. The astronauts’ selection took place at the IAF’s Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Bengaluru.
Read: Chandrayaan-3 rover Pragyan sends image of lander Vikram: ‘Smile please!’
It was a very special moment for me to hand over wings to the four Indian astronaut-designates. They reflect the hopes, aspirations and optimism of 140 crore Indians.
India is proud of Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad… pic.twitter.com/i0oseaxd4o
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 27, 2024
In June 2019, the ISRO and Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of Russian space agency Roscosmos, made a memorandum of understanding for the training of four astronauts. Subsequently, from February 2020 to March 2021, these four selected astronauts underwent training at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre.
A remarkable day for India's space sector! Addressing a programme at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. Do watch.https://t.co/STAdMjs6Eu
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 27, 2024
During a visit to Delhi last year, Bill Nelson, administrator of American space agency NASA, disclosed that it would train an Indian astronaut for a mission to the International Space Station by the end of 2024. The Indian Express reported at the time that the selection process would likely involve candidates from the pool of four individuals currently preparing for the Gaganyaan mission.
Read: Why India’s Chandrayaan-3 success is significant beyond space research
The Gaganyaan mission will showcase India’s human spaceflight capability by launching astronauts to an orbit 400 kilometres above the Earth for a mission over three days. After that, they will be safely land in Indian sea waters.
An elated Modi said on the occasion that India is expanding its space in the global order and this can be seen in its space programme. He said the four names chosen are not just four individuals but four powers who would carry the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians to space. He also gave the four officers a standing ovation and space wings.
During the inaugural ceremony held today at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Hon'ble PM unveiled the Indian Astronaut Logo and awarded the 'अंतरिक्ष यात्री पंख' to the four IAF Astronauts.#IAF will be working in 'Mission Mode' along with @isro to achieve… pic.twitter.com/x6tZIleodq
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) February 27, 2024
“The country has come to know about the four Gaganyaan passengers. These are not just four names or four people. These are four powers who will take the aspirations of 140 crore Indians to space,” Modi said.
“Forty years later, an Indian is going to space. But this time, the timing, the countdown and the rocket belong to us,” he added.
In 1984, Indian wing commander Rakesh Sharma went to space as part of a mission of the erstwhile Soviet Union.
The prime minister also said the Gaganyaan mission will take India’s space sector to new heights at a time when the country is set to become the world’s third-largest economy.
Modi has promised to take India into the top three economies of the world in his third term which he and his Bharatiya Janata Party are confident of bagging in the general elections due in a few months.
Modi also noted the role that India’s women scientists are playing in the country’s space technology sector.
“India’s Nari Shakti is playing pivotal role in the space sector. Be it Chandrayaan or Gaganyaan, no such mission can be imagined without women scientists,” he said.
In August last year, India became the fourth nation in the world to land its spacecraft on the moon and the first one to do so on the celestial body’s southern pole under Chandrayaan-3 mission.
