Group Captains Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Angad Prathap, Ajith Krishnan and Wing Commander Shubanshu Shukla have been designated as the astronauts of India’s manned mission to space Gaganyaan, scheduled for next year.
They were presented before the nation and “winged” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a special function held at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
Before being introduced to the nation, the Prime Minister held a review meeting with the scientists and engineers of ISRO about India’s preparedness for the country’s first-ever manned mission.
“They are not just four names or four human beings; they are the four powers that are going to take the aspirations of 140 crore Indians to space. An Indian is going to space after 40 years. This time, the time is ours, the countdown is ours, and the rocket is also ours,” said Modi while addressing Team ISRO after giving astronaut wings to the four Test Pilots.
The Prime Minister made a special request to the media in the country. “These astronauts are still undergoing rigorous training and physical exercises. We have to ensure that their preparations do not get disturbed or disrupted because of publicity, hence please leave them alone until their mission is accomplished,” said the Prime Minister.
Paying glowing tributes to ISRO, Modi disclosed that more than 500 women scientists and engineers were working in leadership positions in the nation’s space programme. He also mentioned that more than 50 per cent of the components used in the Gaganyaan mission bore the mark “Made In India.” Additionally, he stated that India is all set to emerge as a $44 billion space economy and a Global Space Commerce Hub.
The Prime Minister also made it known to the global community that India would soon have its own Space Station, and the country’s target was to reach Venus by 2035. In an announcement that drew a thundering ovation, Modi said the day is not far off when Indian astronauts would land on the Moon.
“The next Chandrayaan Mission will see the Indian space vehicle bringing samples of rock, sand, etc., collected from the lunar surface,” said Modi.
The Prime Minister said the last ten years saw ISRO launching 400 satellites and the number of space startups surpassing 200. The four astronauts were selected after a series of strenuous physical tests and have been undergoing training at space institutes in Russia and India for the last four years.
Along with the announcement of the names of the astronauts, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation the country’s first semi-cryogenic integrated engine and stage test facility, giving a boost to ISRO’s semi-cryogenic stage development. “It is a dream come true for ISRO as the GenNext semi-cryogenic engine stage would bring down the cost of space accessibility and also power the Mark-III Launch Vehicles to deploy heavy communication satellites into Geosynchronous Orbit, which is 36,000 km away from Earth’s surface,” said Dr R Purushothaman Nair, former ISRO scientist.
