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An Indian astronaut will join the International Space Station (ISS) mission by April next year as part of a collaborative mission between ISRO and NASA.
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Two Indian Air Force officers, Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla and Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, are currently undergoing training for this mission in the US.
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This mission is a significant milestone in India’s space exploration journey and comes ahead of India’s first-ever National Space Day on August 23.
India is all set to achieve a major milestone in space exploration with an Indian astronaut expected to join the International Space Station (ISS) mission by April next year. This mission is a collaborative effort between ISRO and NASA, and two Indian Air Force officers, Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla and Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, are currently undergoing training for this mission in the US. Shukla has been selected for the mission, with Nair serving as the backup candidate.
This announcement comes ahead of India’s first-ever National Space Day on August 23, which celebrates the successful landing of the Vikram lander on the Moon last year. The theme for this day is “Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga.” During the event, ISRO will release scientific data from its Chandrayaan-3 mission, which will be useful for researchers. President Droupadi Murmu will lead the celebrations and present awards to winners of space-related competitions.
ISRO also provided updates on several other missions, including the joint ISRO-NASA mission called NISAR, an earth observation satellite, which is now scheduled for launch after February 2024. Additionally, ISRO is planning to launch the Chandrayaan-4 mission in 2027, which aims to bring back lunar rock and soil samples to Earth.
