Gaganyaan Mission: PM Modi Reveals Names of 4 Astronauts
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an exciting announcement on Tuesday, revealing the names of four pilots who are currently training for India's first human space flight mission, ‘Gaganyaan‘. These skilled individuals are Group Captain P Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander S Shukla. The PM also honored them with ‘astronaut wings'.
During his address, PM Modi expressed his joy in meeting these astronauts and introducing them to the nation. “I want to extend my congratulations to them on behalf of the entire country… You are the pride of today's India,” he shared warmly.
PM Modi, on a brief visit to Kerala, took the opportunity to visit the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram to oversee the progress of the Gaganyaan Mission. Accompanying him were Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Minister Muraleedharan, and ISRO Chairman S Somanath.
About the Gaganyaan Mission, The Gaganyaan Mission is India's ambitious first manned space mission, with a target launch window between 2024-2025. The goal is to send a crew of three humans into a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission and safely return them to Earth by landing in the Indian sea waters.
This mission is a result of a comprehensive strategy that leverages India's expertise, industry experience, academic capabilities, and cutting-edge technologies from international agencies. Last week marked a significant milestone as ISRO successfully completed the human rating of its CE20 cryogenic engine, a critical component for the Gaganyaan missions.
“ISRO has achieved a major milestone in the human rating of its CE20 cryogenic engine, which powers the cryogenic stage of the human-rated LVM3 launch vehicle for Gaganyaan missions. The final round of ground qualification tests on February 13, 2024, including the seventh vacuum ignition test, simulated flight conditions at the High Altitude Test Facility at ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri,” ISRO stated proudly.
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