Indian astronaut ‘Gaganyaatri’ to journey to International Space Station in joint ISRO-NASA mission
One of the four crew members selected for Gaganyaan, the Indian Space Research Organisation‘s (ISRO) first human-crewed spaceflight, will be sent to the International Space Station (ISS) after August. The ISS visit is a joint mission between ISRO and NASA. The space station visit will be a joint exercise involving ISRO and NASA, the Indian space agency’s US counterpart, said Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh informed Parliament on Friday.
“ISRO is pursuing a joint mission with NASA to ISS, wherein one ‘Gaganyaatri’ will undertake space travel to ISS,” Singh said. “This is a collaborative effort of ISRO, NASA, and Axiom Space, a NASA-identified private entity. Recently, ISRO signed a space flight agreement with Axiom Space for this joint mission,” he added. The Minister was answering a a query by Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, about the ‘Axiom-4 Mission,’ astronauts, and the Gaganyaan mission.
As per the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), this will be the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS and is scheduled to be launched no earlier than August 2024 from the agency’s Florida-based Kennedy Space Center. In February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the four ‘Gaganyaatris’ – fighter pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF). They are group captains Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap, and wing commander Shubanshu Shukla.
The Minister, also told the House that the IAF pilots are undergoing training at ISRO’s Astronauts Training Facility in Bengaluru. “They have completed two out of three semesters of their training programme. Independent training simulator and static mockup simulators have been realized,” he said. The Gaganyaan project is expected to launch next year.
Gaganyaan is an Indian crewed orbital spacecraft intended to be the formative spacecraft of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. The spacecraft is being designed to carry three people, and a planned upgraded version will be equipped with rendezvous and docking capabilities.
For all the latest updates, download PGurus App.
- World Bank approves USD 280 million loan for health system improvement in Kerala - October 24, 2025
- Court upholds civil judge order dismissing plea seeking declaration of Ayodhya verdict as void. Imposed Rs.6 lakh fine on Adv Mehmood Pracha for frivolous petition - October 23, 2025
- President Murmu offers prayers at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple - October 22, 2025
