India has named two astronauts who will travel to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA's space mission, even before the country's ambitious Gaganyaan mission. The two astronauts will be Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (Prime) and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair (Backup). Group Captain Shukla's name has been recommended as the primary astronaut and Nair will be his backup, ISRO said. Both of them are among the four astronauts selected by India for the Gaganyaan mission, India's maiden human spaceflight mission next year. Two other pilots were Group Captain Ajit Krishnan and Group Captain Angad Pratap.
The decision will enable both of them to go to space even before the launch of the Gaganyaan mission.
The announcement comes over a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while on his official state visit to the United States last year, said that an Indian astronaut will travel to ISS as part of the US mission.
ISRO on joint mission
ISRO, in a press release, mentioned PM Modi's visit to the USA in June last year and said that it envisioned a joint ISRO-NASA effort to the International Space Station (ISS).
"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 M/s Axiom Space Inc., USA for its upcoming Axiom-4 mission to the ISS," ISRO said,.
A National Mission Assignment Board has recommended two Gaganyatris as prime and backup Mission Pilot for this mission. They include Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (Prime) and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair (Backup). "The assigned crewmembers will be finally approved to fly to the International Space Station by the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP)," ISRO said.
"The recommended Gaganyatris will commence their training for the mission from 1st week of August 2024. During the mission, the Gaganyatri will undertake selected scientific research and technology demonstration experiments on board the ISS as well as engage in space outreach activities," the space agency added.
The experiences gained during this mission will be beneficial for the Indian Human Space Program and it will also strengthen human space flight cooperation between ISRO & NASA.
