India has selected two Air Force pilots for a forthcoming mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in collaboration with Axiom Space.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be the main astronaut on the Axiom-4 mission, while Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair will serve as his backup.
This decision was announced by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which signed a spaceflight agreement with Axiom Space to facilitate this mission.
"After touching the sky with glory, it's time for the #IAF to touch space with glory," the Indian Air Force tweeted.
Shukla, a seasoned test pilot with 2000 hours of flying time, was recommended as the prime mission pilot by ISRO's Human Space Flight Centre. Both he and Nair are part of a group of four astronaut-designates selected for India's Gaganyaan mission, the country's inaugural crewed spaceflight initiative.
The mission, referred to as Ax-4, is scheduled to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a planned duration of up to 14 days.
However, the exact launch timing will be subject to other station activities and mission planning factors.
The experience from this mission is expected to enhance the ongoing collaboration between ISROand
NASA and contribute valuable insights into India's human spaceflight program.
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