As the world celebrated Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla reaching NASA’s International Space Station aboard the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission, another young Indian quietly carved her name into the stars. Jahnavi Dangeti, a 23-year-old space enthusiast from Andhra Pradesh’s Godavari district, has just been selected as an astronaut candidate for a future mission with the US-based private space research agency, Titan Space Industries (TSI).
“We can confirm that Jahnavi is selected as a member of our new ASCAN (astronaut candidate) cohort,” TSI told The Hindu via email, marking the beginning of an extraordinary journey for the young Indian. Sharing the news on her Instagram, Jahnavi wrote, “I’m incredibly honoured and excited to announce that I have been officially selected as an Astronaut Candidate (ASCAN) for Titans Space – Inaugural Class of 2025.
The inaugural mission, set for 2029, will be a Titans Space orbital flight lasting 5 hours. It will feature 3 hours of sustained zero gravity, offering a uniquely transformative environment for scientific research and human spaceflight advancement. We’ll orbit the Earth twice and witness two sunrises and two sunsets — all in one breathtaking mission.”
Education and qualifications
A student of Electronics and Communication Engineering from Lovely Professional University in Punjab, Jahnavi’s space journey began long before this announcement. Her parents, Padmasri and Srinivas, live in Kuwait, while she completed her schooling in the Godavari region.
{{/usCountry}}A student of Electronics and Communication Engineering from Lovely Professional University in Punjab, Jahnavi’s space journey began long before this announcement. Her parents, Padmasri and Srinivas, live in Kuwait, while she completed her schooling in the Godavari region.
{{/usCountry}}In 2022, she made headlines as the youngest foreign analogue astronaut and the first Indian selected by the Analogue Astronaut Training Centre (AATC) in Kraków, Poland. She also participated in the NASA-backed International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) and contributed to asteroid detection through data collected from Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS telescope.
According to News18, she is also the first Indian to graduate from NASA’s IASP, an intensive five-day programme held at the Kennedy Space Centre, which includes hands-on training in space science, rocket design, and leadership.
Her accolades include the People's Choice Award at the NASA Space Apps Challenge and the Young Achiever Award at ISRO’s World Space Week — recognitions that underscore her growing reputation as a serious young force in aerospace.