Gaganyaan astronauts: Meet the four IAF pilots selected for India's maiden spaceflight mission

Gaganyaan astronauts: Meet the four IAF pilots who will man India's maiden human spaceflight

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced the names of the four Indian Air Force pilots who will travel on India’s maiden spaceflight mission next year. The four pilots, who earned their astronaut wings on Tuesday, were introduced as Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.

Gaganyaan -- the country's maiden human space flight mission -- envisages a demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 km. After the three-day mission, the astronauts will be brought back to earth by landing in Indian sea waters, according to ISRO website.

"These are not just four names or four people. They are four powers who will carry the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians to space. I congratulate and wish them all the best," PM Modi said.

The four IAF pilots chosen for the ambitious Gaganyaan mission come with a stellar resume. They have a flying experience in the range of nearly 2,000-3,000 hours and two of them are recipients of the prestigious 'Sword of Honour'.

Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair was born on August 26, 1976 in Kerala. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), the United States Staff College, the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and Flying Instructors School, Tambaram.

A test pilot with approximately 3,000 hours of flying experience, Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair is also a recipient of the prestigious Sword of Honour at the Air Force Academy, which is bestowed upon the best-performing cadet during training. He was commissioned in the fighter stream of the IAF in December 1998.

He has flown a variety of aircraft, including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Hawk, Dornier and An-32

Group Captain Angad Pratap is a flying instructor and a test pilot. Born in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, he is also an alumnus of the National Defence Academy. Captain Pratap has approximately 2,000 hours of flying experience. He was commissioned in December 2004 in the fighter stream of the IAF.

Pratap has flown Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier and An-32, among other aircraft, a spokesperson said.

Group Captain Ajit Krishnan is another recipient of the Sword of Honour. An alumnus of NDA like everyone else on the list, he is also an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.

Krishnan was born in Chennai and is a recipient of the President’s Gold Medal. He is a flying instructor and a test pilot with approximately 2,900 hours of flying experience. He has flown variety of aircraft, including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-21, Mig-29, Jaguar, Dornier and An-32

Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla is a fighter combat leader and a test pilot with approximately 2,000 hours of flying experience. He was born in Lucknow in 1985 and commissioned in 2006 in the fighter stream of the IAF. Shukla is also an alumnus of the NDA who has flown Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier and An-32, among other aircraft.

(With inputs from PTI)