He revealed the names of four astronauts who are going to be a part of the country’s human space flight mission Gaganyaan.
Names Of Four Astronaut-Designates Have Been Revealed
The Prime Minister today gave astronaut wings to the four selected for the space flight during an event at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. The names of the four astronaut-designates selected for the Gaganyaan mission are Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.
The human space flight mission aims to launch a three-member crew into a Low Earth Orbit and bring them back after three days. The astronauts selected for the mission have been trained in technical knowledge and physical fitness to ensure they stay well during the mission.
“The country has come to know about the four Gaganyaan passengers. These are not just four names or four people. These are four powers who will take the aspirations of 140 crore Indians to space,” said the Prime Minister. “Forty years later, an Indian is going to space. But this time, the timing, the countdown and the rocket belong to us,” he added.
Earlier, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma (retired) went to the space in 1984 as part of a Soviet mission.
The Prime Minister said that when India is set to become the world’s third-largest economy, comes the Gaganyaan mission that will take our space sector to new heights.
He also noted the crucial role women scientists have been playing in the space technology sector. “India’s Nari Shakti is playing pivotal role in the space sector. Be it Chandrayaan or Gaganyaan, no such mission can be imagined without women scientists,” he said.
The Prime Minister said India’s success in the space sector is not only sowing the seeds of scientific temperament in the young generation, but also helping it to emerge as a dynamic global player in the 21st century by showcasing significant strides across sectors.
Bengali