The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has selected four pilots for India’s first manned space mission ‘Gaganyaan’, whom Prime Minister Narendra Modi will introduce on Tuesday. According to a report by the Times of India, the pilots, either wing commanders or group captains, include: Prashanth Nair, Angad Prathap, Ajit Krishnan, and Chauhan.

Reportedly, the four pilots have been training at the astronaut training facility in Bengaluru.

PM Modi will visit the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala where he will also review the progress of the Gaganyaan Mission and bestow ‘astronaut wings’ to the astronaut-designates.

“It is a very happy occasion for all of us as PM Modi is visiting Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre,” ISRO chairman S Somanath said.

About the Gaganyaan mission

The Gaganyaan mission is India’s first manned space mission, aiming for a launch between 2024-2025. The project envisages launching a crew of three humans into an orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission and bringing them back safely to Earth by landing in Indian sea waters.

The mission is accomplished through an optimal strategy by considering in-house expertise, the experience of Indian industry, the intellectual capabilities of Indian academia, and research institutions along with cutting-edge technologies available with international agencies, a release by the ISRO said.

Last week, ISRO successfully completed the human rating of its CE20 cryogenic engine, in a big boost to India’s bid to launch the mission.

“ISRO has accomplished a major milestone in the human rating of its CE20 cryogenic engine that powers the cryogenic stage of the human-rated LVM3 launch vehicle for Gaganyaan missions, with the completion of the final round of ground qualification tests on February 13, 2024. The final test was the seventh of a series of vacuum ignition tests carried out at the High Altitude Test Facility at ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri, to simulate the flight conditions,” the ISRO said in a statement.