India’s Fantastic 4: Introduction to the Gaganyaan Astronauts Chosen by the Prime Minister

The four astronauts undergoing training for India’s first human space flight mission are Prashanth Nair, Angad Prathap, Ajit Krishnan, and Shubhanshu Shukla. The Gaganyaan Mission is India’s first human space flight program, and extensive preparations are underway at various ISRO centres.

This project aims to demonstrate human spaceflight capability by launching crew members into an orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission, and bringing them back safely to earth by landing in Indian sea waters. ISRO has completed acceptance tests of the flight engine for the first unmanned Gaganyaan (G1) mission, tentatively scheduled for Q2 of 2024.

This engine will power the upper stage of the human-rated LVM3 vehicle and has a thrust capability of 19 to 22 tonnes with a specific impulse of 442.5 seconds. India achieved significant milestones in 2023 with the successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the South Pole of the Moon and the launch of Aditya-L1, India’s first solar mission.

India’s future goals include the Gaganyaan Mission in 2024-2025, setting up ‘Bharatiya Antariksha Station’ by 2035, and sending the first Indian to the Moon by 2040.