India Selects ‘Prime Astronaut’ for Indo-US Space Station Mission
New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has selected its youngest astronaut-designate, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, as the prime astronaut for the upcoming Indo-US mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Shukla, who was recently promoted, will lead the mission.
A ‘prime astronaut’ is selected to participate in the mission, while a backup astronaut is designated in case a last-minute substitution is necessary due to unforeseen circumstances.
Born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on October 10, 1985, he graduated from the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on June 17, 2006.
He is a fighter combat leader and test pilot with about 2,000 hours of flight experience. His extensive flying background includes aircraft such as the Sukhoi-30MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32, among others.
The backup astronaut will be Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, the eldest of the astronaut-designates. Born in Thiruvazhiyad, Kerala, on August 26, 1976, he is also a National Defence Academy alumnus and was awarded the Sword of Honor at the Air Force Academy. He was commissioned into the Indian Air Force (IAF) on December 19, 1998, in the fighter stream.
Group Captain Nair holds the Category-A flying instructor rating—the highest level a pilot can achieve—and has around 3,000 hours of flying experience. His aircraft experience includes the Sukhoi-30MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
He is an alumnus of the United States Staff College and has served as a director at both the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington and the Flying Instructors School in Tambaram. He has also commanded a Sukhoi-30MKI squadron.
To date, India has had only one astronaut in space—Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who participated in an Indo-Soviet mission in 1984.
Experts believe ISRO has wisely selected the youngest of the four designated astronauts as the prime candidate, given that the Gaganyaan program is a long-term mission. A younger astronaut is seen as better suited to fulfill the program’s extended goals. India aims to send a human to the Moon by 2040.
In pursuit of a joint ISRO-NASA initiative, the Human Space Flight Center (HSFC) of ISRO has signed a Space Flight Agreement (SFA) with Axiom Space Inc., a NASA-designated service provider, for the upcoming Axiom-4 mission to the ISS. According to ISRO, the National Mission Assignment Board has recommended two Gaganyatris as the prime and backup mission pilots for this mission.
The astronauts will receive final approval to travel to the ISS from the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP). Training for the Gaganyatris will commence this week. During the mission, they will conduct scientific research, perform technology demonstration experiments aboard the ISS, and participate in space outreach activities.
The insights gained from this mission will contribute to the Indian Human Space Program and enhance collaboration between ISRO and NASA in human space flight.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US in June 2023, both countries signed a joint statement, which led to the start of this Indo-US flight.
