India Selects Two 'Gaganyatris' For NASA's Axiom-4 Mission To International Space Station — All About It

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Friday (2 August) that US space agency NASA will be sending India's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS).

ISRO's Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) has signed a Space Flight Agreement (SFA) with US-based Axiom Space for the forthcoming Axiom-4 mission to the ISS with two Indian pilots as primary and backup mission pilots.

According to the statement, Group Captain Shukla would be the primary mission pilot while another Indian Air Force official, Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, would be the backup mission pilot.

The training of both Indian astronauts, also known as "Gaganyaatri", will begin in the first week of August.

During the mission, the 'Gaganyatri' will undertake selected scientific research and technology demonstration experiments on board the ISS as well as engage in space outreach activities, the ISRO said.

The experiences gained during this mission will be beneficial for the Indian Human Space Program and it will also strengthen human space flight cooperation between ISRO and NASA, the Indian space agency added.

The Axiom-4 mission crew will include the US's Peggy Whitson (Commander), India's Group Captain Shukla (pilot), Poland's SÅ‚awosz Uznanski (Mission Specialist) and Hungary's Tibor Kapu (Mission Specialist), India Today reported.

Four test pilots from the Air Force have been selected by the ISRO for the Gaganyaan Mission.

Their primary training was started at Isro's Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru for the Gaganyaan mission.

The Gaganyaan mission is an ambitious programme, aiming to demonstrate India's human spaceflight capability. The mission plans to send a three-member crew into a 400 km orbit for three days, ending with a safe landing in Indian waters.

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