Indian-American astronaut Raja Chari has been nominated by US president Joe Biden for the post of Air Force brigadier general, the US State Department said on Thursday. The appointment will be finalised by the Senate, which approves all senior civilian and military appointments, the State Department added. “Air Force Col. Raja J Chari for appointment to the grade of brigadier general. Chari is currently serving as the Crew-3 commander and astronaut, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Johnson Space Center, Texas," an official statement read.
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Here are five points know about Indian-American astronaut Raja Chari:
1) Chari was born in the United States’s Milwaukee but considers Cedar Falls, Iowa, as his hometown. He attended Columbus High School in Waterloo, Iowa. He is married to Holly Schaffter Chari, and the couple has three children.
2) He earned a bachelor's degree in Astronautical Engineering from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado and a master's degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
3) He graduated from the US Naval Test Pilot School, Maryland, and US Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
4) Raja Chari served as the Commander of the NASA SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which was launched on November 10, 2021. He served at the ISS as part of Expedition 66 and 67 before returning to Earth on May 6, last year, and completing the American agency’s third long-duration commercial crew mission with the international crew of four spending 177 days in Space’s orbit.
{{/usCountry}}4) Raja Chari served as the Commander of the NASA SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which was launched on November 10, 2021. He served at the ISS as part of Expedition 66 and 67 before returning to Earth on May 6, last year, and completing the American agency’s third long-duration commercial crew mission with the international crew of four spending 177 days in Space’s orbit.
{{/usCountry}}5) His many accolades include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Aerial Achievement Medal.
(With agency inputs)