Since its announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, Bharat’s inaugural manned space expedition – Gaganyaan Mission – has captivated the nation’s imagination. Amidst speculation surrounding the mission’s astronauts, PM Modi, on a comprehensive tour of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra, visited the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre-VSSC in Thiruvananthapuram.
Scheduled to inaugurate a multitude of developmental projects valued at over Rs 24,000 crore across the three States, PM Modi’s agenda includes the unveiling of three pivotal space infrastructure initiatives, collectively valued at approximately Rs 1,800 crore, alongside a review of Gaganyaan Mission’s progress.
Media reports indicate that PM Modi will divulge the identities of the four Indian astronauts slated to embark on the historic Gaganyaan voyage.
Quoting undisclosed sources, reports suggest that the selected astronauts, all holding esteemed positions as either wing commanders or group captains, include Prashanth Nair, Angad Prathap, Ajit Krishnan, and Chauhan among other pending confirmation.
Having undergone rigorous training at Bengaluru’s astronaut training facility, the quartet will accompany PM Modi at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, where their introduction to the nation will take place.
Given the pioneering nature of Bharat’s maiden spaceflight mission, all astronauts-select for Gaganyaan hail from test pilot backgrounds, tasked with meticulously assessing potential challenges inherent to uncharted territories.
Following an extensive selection process conducted at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine or IAM under the Indian Air Force, in collaboration with ISRO, the final four emerged from a pool of 12 candidates, who advanced past the initial screening phase in September 2019.
Amidst various developmental efforts, PM Modi’s itinerary encompasses the inauguration of several landmark projects, including the ‘PSLV integration facility’ at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre and the ‘semi-cryogenics integrated engine and stage test facility’ at the ISRO propulsion complex in Mahendragiri, alongside the ‘Trisonic wind tunnel’ at VSSC.
Moreover, PM Modi’s visit coincides with a significant achievement for ISRO, with the successful culmination of ground qualification tests affirming the human rating of the CE20 cryogenic engine, vital for Gaganyaan’s LVM3 launch vehicle. Having completed a series of rigorous tests, the CE20 engine now stands approved for human-rated missions.
