India has revealed the identities of four Air Force pilots who have been selected for the country’s inaugural space flight, part of the upcoming Gaganyaan mission set for the following year.
The mission’s objective is to transport three astronauts to an orbit 400 km above Earth and bring them back safely after a three-day journey.
India’s space agency, Isro, has been conducting various tests in preparation for the mission, including a successful crew escape test in October.
Following this achievement, Isro announced plans for a test flight involving a robot in 2024, paving the way for human astronauts to embark on a space journey in 2025.
At a ceremony held at the Isro center in Thiruvananthapuram, the four selected astronaut-designates from the Indian Air Force were introduced: Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.
During the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Isro chief S Somanath presented the astronauts with badges adorned with golden wings, symbolizing their accomplishment.
Prime Minister Modi commended them as “India’s pride” and emphasized their role in carrying the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians into space.
The selected officers underwent rigorous physical and psychological tests before being chosen and have completed 13 months of intensive training in Russia.
A video showcased their fitness routines, including gym workouts, swimming, and yoga.
Isro also unveiled Vyommitra, a female humanoid set to journey into space later in the year. The Gaganyaan Mission marks India’s first human space flight program, with substantial preparations underway across various Isro centers.
The project, named after the Sanskrit word for a craft or vehicle to the sky, comes with a cost of 90 billion rupees ($1 billion). If successful, India will join the elite group of nations—Soviet Union, the US, and China—that have sent humans into space.
Despite its delayed entry into human spaceflight compared to other nations, India has made significant strides in space exploration, achieving a historic landing near the Moon’s south pole in August 2023 and launching Aditya-L1, the country’s first observation mission to the Sun.
India has also announced ambitious plans for the future, including establishing a space station by 2035 and sending an astronaut to the Moon by 2040.