BENGALURU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday conferred astronaut wings and introduced four selected astronauts to the world: Group Captain Prashant Nehru, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Shubhavash Shukla.
All four candidates, who were shortlisted four years ago, are Indian Air Force (IAF) test pilots from the Aircraft and Systems Test Institute (ASTE), Bangalore.
In its Tuesday edition, TOI had reported based on sources that the astronauts announced by Prime Minister Prashant Nar were Angad Pratap and Ajit Krishnan, but the source named the fourth test pilot Chavan (full name withheld), TOI said. . (available immediately), but not among the four selected.
Isro Chairman S Somanath said, “Three major projects have been dedicated to the country and have been completed on time. These represent important additions to Isro’s infrastructure. We have seen tremendous progress made by Isro on missions that are shaking up India. It had missions like Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L1. The stated vision of 2047 includes ambitious projects and Mr. Vikshit Bharat and ISRO will strive to achieve this goal.”
The project mentioned by Somanath is the PSLV integration facility at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. Integrated Semi-Cryogenic Engine and Stage Test Center at ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri. and VSSC Trisonic wind tunnel. He added: Today is a golden day for ISRO with the Prime Minister. This is the first time in 40 years that a Prime Minister will visit this facility at ISRO.
In July 2019, TOI first reported that all of the astronauts selected for Gaganyan would be test pilots. Because Gaganyaan is India’s first manned space mission and the test pilots’ expertise means they always have to think in depth about what can go wrong. Something I’ve never tried before.
Numerous test pilots have applied to become astronauts, and twelve of them passed the first round of selection, which was completed in September 2019 in Bangalore. The selection was made at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM), a research institute of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
After several rounds of selection, IAM and Isro were the final four companies shortlisted. By early 2020, ISRO had sent four test pilots to Russia for initial training, which was completed in 2021 after Covid-19 delays.
Since then, the four have completed different training courses in India. ISRO has worked with several agencies, including the military. Isro is also working on equipping its Human Space Flight Center (HSFC) with various simulators for training purposes. They continue to fly regularly with the IAF to keep fit and other fitness programs are part of their daily routine.