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IAF test pilots with shining track record to lead India’s space quest
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the identities of the four IAF fighter pilots selected for the Gaganyaan mission
A closely guarded secret for over four years was revealed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday as he announced the identities of the four Indian Air Force fighter pilots selected for India’s first crewed spaceflight — the Gaganyaan mission.
The Prime Minister introduced to the nation the astronauts, or “vyonmauts”, Group Captains Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Angad Pratap, Ajit Krishnan, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla, who were hand-picked by the IAF and have undergone rigorous training for the mission in Russia.
The four astronauts, who were awarded the “Antriksh Yatri Pankh” (astronaut wings) by the PM at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, are from the elite Air Force Test Pilot School, which comes under the Bengaluru-based Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE).
With the Gaganyaan project, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) plans to demonstrate its human spaceflight capabilities. The crew will be launched into an orbit 400 kilometers away for a three-day mission. The mission is scheduled to launch by 2025
PM Modi said that the names of the astronauts have become intertwined with India’s success.
“During the inaugural ceremony held today at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Hon’ble PM unveiled the Indian Astronaut Logo and awarded the astronaut wings to the four IAF Astronauts. #IAF will be working in ‘Mission Mode’ along with @isro to achieve our Nation’s dream of achieving our own Manned Space Flight,” the IAF said on X.
An alumnus of the Khadakwasla-based National Defence Academy, Nair was awarded the Sword of Honour at Air Force Academy Dundigal, near Hyderabad, for overall excellence during training, IAF officials said, soon after the names of the astronauts were revealed. He is the senior-most astronaut for the mission.
Born at Thiruvazhiyad in Kerala on August 26, 1976, Nair was commissioned in the fighter stream of IAF on December 19, 1998. He is a ‘Category A’ flying instructor and a test pilot with around 3,000 hours of flying experience.
Krishnan, also an alumnus of NDA, was a recipient of the President’s Gold Medal and Sword of Honour at the Air Force Academy, the officials said. He was born in Chennai on April 19, 1982. He was commissioned in the fighter stream of IAF on June 21, 2003.
Prayagraj-born Pratap, meanwhile, was commissioned in the fighter stream of IAF on December 18, 2004. He is a flying instructor and a test pilot with around 2,000 hours of flying experience. He has flown several aircraft including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar and Hawk.
Shukla is the youngest of the four. Also alumnus of NDA, he was commissioned in the fighter stream of IAF on June 17, 2006. He is a fighter combat leader and a test pilot with around 2,000 hours of flying experience.
Nair, Krishnan, Pratap and Shukla have flown a variety of fighter planes and have excelled in their careers.
“My family and I have had the honour of meeting three of them. We congratulate all of them and their families as they lead the country in a new era of space exploration. They are the crème de la crème of IAF and will make the country proud,” said Colonel KP Singh (retd), whose son Group Captain Varun Singh was on the first list of 12 candidates shortlisted for Gaganyaan in 2019. Singh, however, did not make it to the final list due to a medical requirement.
In 2021, Singh was the sole survivor of the chopper crash in which India’s first chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others were killed on December 8. He succumbed to his injuries on December 15, 2021.
“In all these four young astronauts, we see the reflection of our son, Varun,” said Colonel Singh.
Champion sailor Commander Abhilash Tomy (retd), who met the astronauts last year, said, “My first impression was that they were extremely motivated and looking forward to the new experience of travelling to space. They had been in training for many years, and that showed when I interacted with them. They were raring to go.”
Tomy, a former navy officer who finished second in the challenging solo and non-stop circumnavigation 2022 Golden Globe Race (GGR), held several meetings with Isro officials last year for the safe recovery of astronauts from sea after their return from space.
