The prime astronaut selected by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the upcoming Indo-US mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is the youngest among the astronaut-designates.
This astronaut is Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who was recently promoted. A prime astronaut is selected to fly, while a backup astronaut is also chosen in case a last-minute swap is necessary due to any mishap.
Shubhanshu Shukla, born on October 10, 1985, hails from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. He graduated from the National Defence Academy and joined the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on June 17, 2006.
An individual is a Fighter Combat Leader and a test pilot with around 2,000 hours of flight experience. They have operated various aircraft such as the Sukhoi-30MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32, among others.
The alternate astronaut will be Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, the most senior of the astronaut-designates. He was born on August 26, 1976, in Thiruvazhiyad, Kerala. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was honoured with the Sword of Honour at the Air Force Academy. He was commissioned in the fighter stream of the IAF on December 19, 1998.
Group Captain Nair is a Category-A flying Instructor, the highest rank a pilot can achieve, and a test pilot with around 3,000 hours of flight experience. He has also piloted several aircraft, including Sukhoi-30MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
He graduated from the United States Staff College and served as Directing Staff at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and the Flying Instructors School, Tambaram. He has led a Sukhoi-30MKI squadron.
To this day, only one Indian, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, has travelled to space as a cosmonaut or astronaut on an Indo-Soviet mission in 1984.
According to experts, ISRO has appropriately selected the youngest of the four assigned astronauts as the primary candidate, considering the Gaganyaan program's long-term nature. Having a youthful astronaut aligns with India's goal of sending a human to the Moon by 2040.
"Towards the goal of mounting a joint ISRO-NASA effort, the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) of ISRO has entered into a Space Flight Agreement (SFA) with NASA-identified service provider Axiom Space Inc., USA for its upcoming Axiom-4 mission to the ISS. A National Mission Assignment Board has recommended two Gaganyatris as prime and backup mission pilot for this mission," ISRO said in a statement.
The multilateral crew operations panel (MCOP) will grant final approval for the astronauts to travel to the ISS. Training for the mission will commence for the Gaganyatris this week. While on the mission, they will conduct scientific research and demonstrate technology onboard the ISS, in addition to participating in space outreach activities.
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