Two Indian astronauts are set to begin training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Texas this August, as announced by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This development follows President, Joe Biden’s June 2023 announcement, during Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, of plans to send an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS).
One of these astronauts, who previously received basic training at Moscow’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, will participate in the India-US mission to the ISS. The mission, expected to be executed by American private firms SpaceX and Axiom by the end of 2024, aims to equip Indian astronauts with vital expertise.
Former ISRO Chairman, K Sivan highlighted the significance of this mission, calling it a crucial step towards the Gaganyaan programme, which aims to send three astronauts to an orbit of 400 km for a short-duration mission using an Indian launch vehicle.
ISRO is advancing its technologies in engineering and human-centric systems. The Astronaut Training Centre in Bengaluru offers comprehensive training, including academic courses, Gaganyaan flight systems, micro-gravity familiarisation through parabolic flights, aero-medical training, recovery and survival training, flight procedures, and crew training simulators. Additionally, the training includes periodic flying practice and yoga.
The Gaganyaan mission is projected to launch by 2026, with Group Captains Prashanth Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla selected for the mission.
Notably, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma previously spent eight days aboard the Salyut 7 space station in 1984 as part of a collaboration between India and the Soviet Union.
