Modi announces names of Gaganyaan space mission astronauts

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, today announced the names of four Indian Air Force officers who will be the astronauts in the country's first manned mission to space, which is expected to be launched next year.

The space mission named 'Gaganyaan' will be the Indian Space Research Organization's first crewed mission to low-earth orbit (400km above the earth). Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, (Group Captain) Angad Prathap, Ajit Krishnan, and Shubanshu Shukla have been selected to be the astronauts on the first crewed mission to space. They are all either wing commanders or group captains in the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The four astronauts have already undergone training at Russia's Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre from February 2020 to March 2021. They are now undergoing training at the national space agency's astronaut training facility in Bengaluru.

The human space mission is aimed at demonstrating India's human spaceflight capability by launching astronauts into space for a three-day mission and bringing them back to Earth safely. 

The first crewed mission of the Gaganyaan programme is scheduled to be launched in 2025, Union Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh announced in February this year.

Modi, who reviewed the progress of the Gaganyaan mission today, said the four Gaganyaan astronauts are not just four names or human beings but "are the four powers that are going to take the aspirations of 140 crore Indians to the space". "These are not just four individuals, they are inspiration for all youth of our nation," he added.

Modi announced this while visiting the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Modi also said that India in the 21st century is emerging as a dynamic global player, showcasing significant developmental strides across sectors. To him, it was a matter of pride that most components used in the Gaganyaan mission were made in India.

Furthermore, Modi conveyed some concerns about the celebrity attention to the four astronaut-designates which can create disturbance in their training and appealed for cooperation with the astronaut-designates and their families so that they continue their training without distraction.

India landed its first unmanned spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3, on the moon last year.