Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced the names of the four astronaut designates who will fly to low-earth orbit as part of the Gaganyaan mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Here are the four astronaut designates and their education qualifications.
Group Captains Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla — all qualified from the National Defence Academy between 1997 and 2005 and were commissioned into the IAF.
Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair
Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair is from Nemmara village in Palakkad and passed out from the NDA in 1997. Nair is the recipient of the Sword of Honour at AFA. He is also an alumnus of the United States Staff College and a DS at Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington and Flying Instructors School (FIS), Tambaram.
Know about the colleges
United States Staff College
The United States Staff College was set up in 1881. The college since its inception has been acting as a lead agent for the Army’s leader development program; and advances the art and science of the profession of arms in support of Army operational requirements.
Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington
DSSC Wellington Tamil Nadu was established in 1947 and it is one of the earliest institutions in the world to provide, under one roof, training to officers of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, along with officers of the civil services.
Flying Instructors School (FIS), Tambaram
FIS was set up in April 1, 1948 and is a training institution of the Indian Air Force. The FIS trains operational pilots of the Indian Armed Forces and friendly foreign countries to be flying instructors.
Group Captain Ajit Krishnan
Ajit Krishnan was born in Chennai on April 19, 1982. He joined NDA after his Class 12 exams and passed out from the NDA in 2001-02. He received the President’s Gold Medal and Sword of Honour at the AFA. He was commissioned in June 2003. He is also an alumnus of the DSSC in Wellington, Tamil Nadu.
Flying Instructors School (FIS), Tambaram
FIS was set up in April 1, 1948 and is a training institution of the Indian Air Force. The FIS trains operational pilots of the Indian Armed Forces and friendly foreign countries to be flying instructors.
Group Captain Ajit Krishnan
Ajit Krishnan was born in Chennai on April 19, 1982. He joined NDA after his Class 12 exams and passed out from the NDA in 2001-02. He received the President’s Gold Medal and Sword of Honour at the AFA. He was commissioned in June 2003. He is also an alumnus of the DSSC in Wellington, Tamil Nadu.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore is the top research institute in the country according to the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF 2023). Also in World University Rankings 2024 by subject, the IISC Bangalore is in the top position in India in four subjects, i.e. Physical Sciences, Engineering, Computer Science and Life Sciences.
Courtesy : The Indian Express