Astronomy:List of Indian astronauts

From HandWiki
Short description: none
For foreign astronauts of Indian origin, see Astronomy:List of astronauts of Indian origin.

On 3 April 1984, Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to travel to space. He traveled on board Soyuz T-11 to the space station Salyut 7 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme.[1] In the late 2000s, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that it is working on the technologies required for sending humans to space as a part of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.[2][3]

Members of the planned Gaganyaan program of the Indian Space Research Organisation

In 2018, the Government of India formally announced the launch of the Gaganyaan programme, which aimed to put a man in space by 2022.[4] However, the plans were delayed partly due to the impact of Covid 19.[5] As per the revised timelines, the first crewed flight is planned as a part of Gaganyaan-4, scheduled to launch in 2027.[6][7]) On 27 February 2024, four men (Gaganyatri) – Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap, Prasanth Nair, and Shubhanshu Shukla, from the Indian Air Force were announced as candidates for the human spaceflight programme.[8] They trained at Russia's Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, where Sharma had trained in 1984.[9] Nair and Shukla trained at NASA facilities in preparation for their participation in the Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station.[10] Shukla flew to space on 25 June 2025 as a part of the mission,[11][12] while Nair was his backup.[13]

On 19 May 2024, Gopichand Thotakura became the first Indian to take a suborbital flight to space, as a part of the Blue Origin NS-25 mission.[14]

List

Apart from the Indians who had traveled to space, the list also includes those who have trained for space travel but have not traveled to space.[lower-alpha 1]

Name Image Birth Time in Space Missions Notes
Rakesh Sharma 100px 13 January 1949 7 days, 21 hours, 40 minutes Soviet Union Soyuz T-11
(3 April 1984)[15]
  • First Indian in space.[16]
Ravish Malhotra 100px 25 December 1943 N/A N/A
  • Backup for Sharma in Soyuz T-11.[17]
Gopichand Thotakura 1993 9 minutes, 53 seconds United States Blue Origin NS-25 (19 May 2024)[18]
  • Second Indian in space.[18]
  • First Indian to take a suborbital flight to space.[14]
Shubhanshu Shukla 100px 10 October 1985 20 days, 2 hours and 59 minutes United States Axiom Mission 4
(25 June 2025)[19]
Prasanth Nair 100px 26 August 1976 N/A N/A
  • Backup for Shukla on Axiom Mission 4.[25]
Ajit Krishnan 19 April 1982 N/A N/A
Angad Pratap 100px 17 July 1982 N/A N/A
  • Part of Gaganyaan.[26]

See also

  • History of spaceflight
  • Human spaceflight
  • List of Asian astronauts
  • List of astronauts by selection

Notes

  1. ↑ Technically, the term 'astronaut' refers to only persons trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program as a crew member of a spacecraft.

References

  1. ↑ Srinivasan, Pankaja (4 April 2010). "The down to earth Rakesh Sharma". The Hindu. http://m.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/the-down-to-earth-rakesh-sharma/article381946.ece/. 
  2. ↑ "ISRO considering manned space mission: Nair". The Hindu. 9 August 2007. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200708091621.htm. 
  3. ↑ "India announces first manned space mission". BBC News. 27 January 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8483787.stm. 
  4. ↑ "Indian will take national flag to space on board Gaganyaan by 2022, says PM Narendra Modi in Independence Day speech". The Hindustan Times. 15 August 2018. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/indian-will-take-national-flag-to-space-on-board-gaganyaan-by-2022-says-pm-narendra-modi-in-independence-day-speech/story-ctNAmDef79gbpj7OHrU8dP.html. 
  5. ↑ Kumar, Chethan (11 June 2020). "Gaganyaan mission: No Gaganyaan unmanned flight this year". The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/no-gaganyaan-unmanned-flight-this-year/articleshow/76315319.cms. 
  6. ↑ "India delays its 1st-ever Gaganyaan astronaut launch to 2026". Space.com. 4 November 2024. https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/india-delays-its-1st-ever-gaganyaan-astronaut-launch-to-2026. 
  7. ↑ "India's Gaganyaan Mission in final phase, maiden crew launch in early 2027". India Today. 6 May 2025. https://www.indiatoday.in/science/gaganyaan-mission/story/indias-gaganyaan-mission-in-final-phase-maiden-crew-launch-in-early-2027-2720520-2025-05-06. 
  8. ↑ "Astronauts on Isro's Gaganyaan mission trained at same centre in Russia where Rakesh Sharma underwent training". The Times of India. 27 February 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/astronauts-on-gaganyaan-mission-trained-at-same-center-in-russia-where-rakesh-sharma-underwent-training/articleshow/108041061.cms. 
  9. ↑ "Gaganyaan Mission: How 4 Indian astronauts were trained in Russia - Gaganyaan astronauts named". The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/gaganyaan-mission-how-4-indian-astronauts-were-trained-in-russia/gaganyaan-astronauts-named/slideshow/108043859.cms. 
  10. ↑ "2 Gaganyaan astronauts to go to ISS aboard the Axiom Mission 4". The Indian Express. 6 July 2024. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/2-gaganyaan-astronauts-to-go-to-iss-aboard-the-axiom-4-mission-9435821/. 
  11. ↑ "Shubhanshu Shukla: Astronaut becomes first Indian to set foot on ISS" (in en-GB). BBC News. 26 June 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crenw0nyqnqo. 
  12. ↑ "Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla called Dr V Narayanan, Chairman, ISRO and acknowledged the efforts of the ISRO team in ensuring his safe travel to the ISS". ISRO (Press release). Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  13. ↑ "Who is Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the 'prime astronaut' for Indo-US mission to space?". The Indian Express. 3 August 2024. https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/who-is-shubhanshu-shukla-indo-us-space-mission-9492109/. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 John, Nirmal (12 April 2024). "Meet Gopichand Thotakura, the 2nd Indian citizen in space after Rakesh Sharma". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/gopichand-thotakura-set-to-become-second-indian-citizen-in-space-after-rakesh-sharma-to-be-part-of-blue-origins-next-mission/articleshow/109226700.cms?from=mdr. 
  15. ↑ "Cosmonaut Biography: Rakesh Sharma". Spacefacts.de. http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/sharma_rakesh.htm. 
  16. ↑ "Rakesh Sharma". Maps of India. http://www.mapsofindia.com/who-is-who/miscellaneous/rakesh-sharma.html. 
  17. ↑ Abraham, Rohan (23 July 2019). "'Rakesh Sharma or Ravish Malhotra? Only one of us would go up into space'". The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/ravish-malhotra-learnt-russian-in-3-months-for-indo-soviet-space-mission/articleshow/70339620.cms. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Meet Gopichand Thotakura: Vijayawada-born pilot to become 2nd Indian to fly to space – A look at his inspiring journey". ET Now. 13 April 2024. https://www.etnownews.com/success-stories/meet-gopichand-thotakura-vijayawada-born-pilot-to-become-2nd-indian-to-fly-to-space-a-look-at-his-inspiring-journey-article-109262066. 
  19. ↑ "Falcon 9 Block 5 | Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4)". Next Space flight. https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/NextSpaceflight.com/launches/details/6791. 
  20. ↑ "Shubhanshu Shukla: The ISRO pilot taking India back to space after 41 years". BBC News. 3 June 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce80glkl7nno. 
  21. ↑ Singh, Nandini. "Meet Shubhanshu Shukla: India's first astronaut on a private space mission". Business Standard. https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/shubhanshu-shukla-first-indian-astronaut-axiom-mission-space-2025-125013100746_1.html. 
  22. ↑ "Shubhanshu Shukla breaks mentor Rakesh Sharma’s 41-year-old space record". India Today. 3 July 2025. https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/shubhanshu-shukla-breaks-mentor-rakesh-sharmas-41-year-old-space-record-2750300-2025-07-03. 
  23. ↑ "‘Thank you, ISRO’: Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla hails India’s space agency for safe journey to ISS". The Economic Times. 7 July 2025. ISSN 0013-0389. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/shubhanshu-shukla-isro-gaganyatri-iss-axiom4-gaganyaan-indian-astronaut-space-mission/articleshow/122297635.cms?from=mdr. 
  24. ↑ "Who is Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station?". The Times of India. 9 June 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/trending/who-is-shubhanshu-shukla-the-first-indian-astronaut-to-travel-to-the-international-space-station/articleshow/121715550.cms. 
  25. ↑ "Meet 4 astronauts selected for Gaganyaan mission". The Times of India. 27 February 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/gaganyaan-mission-pm-modi-bestows-astronaut-wings-to-prashanth-nari-ajit-krishnan-angad-prathap-shubhanshu-shukla/articleshow/108035217.cms. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Pandey, Geeta (27 February 2024). "Gaganyaan: India names astronauts for maiden space flight". BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-68411095. 



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Astronomy:List_of_Indian_astronauts&oldid=4215073"