By Chaitali Bag
India has unveiled four Air Force pilots who have been shortlisted to travel on the country’s maiden space flight scheduled for next year.
The Gaganyaan mission aims to send three astronauts to an orbit of 400km and bring them back after three days. India’s space agency ISRO has been carrying out a number of tests to prepare for the flight.
The names of the first Indian “astronaut designates” for the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission were announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. The designates are fighter pilots from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and include Group Captain Prashant Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajith Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Prathap, and Wing Commander Shubanshu Shukla.
These four pilots, who have been receiving training in space flight in India and overseas, will make up the final mission crew. Having made it through the extensive screening procedure, they began their training in Russia and subsequently moved on to Bengaluru’s Astronaut Training Facility, which is run by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
In June last year in Moscow, the astronauts successfully completed a test onboard the IL-76MDK special laboratory while in a short-term weightless state. During their subsequent training in July, they learned how to evacuate from the descent module landing site by lifting themselves onto a helicopter. To ensure that their organs could withstand the stresses of space travel, including G-force, hypoxia, and pressure drops, the course also included training in a hyperbaric chamber and a centrifuge.
In Gangayaan, the first human space flight mission of the nation, a three-person crew will be sent to a 400 km orbit in an effort to showcase human spaceflight capacity. Landing in Indian sea waters will bring the astronauts back to Earth after the three-day trip.
In the presence of Arif Mohammed Khan, Governor of Kerala; Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister; V Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs; and S Somanath, Chairman of ISRO, the Prime Minister also bestowed “wings” to the four pilots serving on the Gaganyaan Mission at the VSSC.
“They are not just four names or individuals, they are four ‘shakti’ of carrying the aspirations of 140 crore Indians into space,” Prime Minister Modi stated at the gathering. After forty years, an Indian is breaking new ground by launching into space. But the countdown, the rocket, and the moment are all ours now.
During his introduction of the astronaut designates, Prime Minister Modi said that their names have become synonymous with India’s achievements and that they represent the confidence, bravery, bravery, and discipline of modern India. He praised their training ethic and commitment, saying that they are an example of the Amrit generation in India, which faces challenges head-on and shows no signs of giving up.
The four Indian Air Force pilots selected for the daring Gaganyaan mission had an impressive track record. Two of them have been awarded the esteemed “Sword of Honour,” and their combined flying time is close to 2,000 to 3,000 hours.
A native of Kerala, Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair came into this world on August 26, 1976. A graduate of NDA, US Staff College, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and Flying Instructors School, Tambaram, he has a long list of accomplishments. Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair is a test pilot with around three thousand hours of flying time. He also won the Air Force Academy’s most prestigious award, the Sword of Honour, given to the top-performing cadet. He joined the Indian Air Force in December 1998 and was commissioned into the fighter stream. Several aircraft have passed through his hands, including the An-32, Dornier, Hawk, MiG-21, and MiG-29.
Group Both a flight instructor and a certified pilot, Captain Angad Pratap has his wings. He attended the National Defence Academy and was born in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Around 2,000 hours of flying time have been logged by Captain Pratap. In December 2004, he was commissioned into the Indian Air Force’s fighter stream. A wide variety of aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32, have been flown by Pratap.
The Sword of Honour was also bestowed upon Group Captain Ajit Krishnan. Additionally, he attended the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington and, like everyone else on the list, he is a graduate of NDA. Krishnan received the President’s Gold Medal; he was born in Chennai. With almost 2,900 hours under his belt, he’s been a flight teacher and test pilot for quite some time. His aviation experience includes the following types of planes: Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, Mig-29, Jaguar, Dornier, and An-32.
With almost 2,000 hours of flying time, Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla is both a test pilot and a fighter combat leader. He joined the Indian Air Force in 2006 after being born in Lucknow in 1985. Among the many aircraft that Shukla has flown as an alumnus of the NDA are the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.