Indian Astronauts' Training in USA for Five Days: Will They Meet Sunita Williams?

ISRO-Indian Air Force astronauts Group Captain Shubhamshu Shukla and Group Captain Prashant Balakrishnan Nair have reached Houston for space station training. Their training has already begun. Only one will go to the space station. Will they get a chance to meet Sunita Williams?
From left to right... Group Captain Shubhamshu Shukla and Group Captain Prashant Balakrishnan Nair undergoing training in Houston.

Source: aajtak

Highly experienced test pilots from the Indian Air Force and selected astronauts for ISRO's Gaganyaan mission, Group Captain Shubhamshu Shukla and Group Captain Prashant Balakrishnan Nair, are undergoing training in Houston for a mission to the space station. They are part of the Axiom-4 Mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Their training has been ongoing for the past five days.

The Axiom-4 Mission will travel to the orbiting laboratory using SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft, launching from Florida. All crew members on this spacecraft will spend at least 14 days at the space station. During this time, Group Captain Shubhamshu Shukla may meet Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams, who has been stranded at the space station for the past two months due to a malfunction in the Starliner capsule she arrived in.

NASA has stated that the helium leak in the Starliner is not a major issue; it is due to a sealing fault. However, Boeing has reported that they are investigating the cause and reason for the leak, which occurred when the spacecraft was docked to the space station. Additionally, five thrusters stopped working and had to be restarted.

NASA asserts that these problems do not pose a significant threat, and the Starliner could return to Earth at any time. However, there is no rush to bring the astronauts home, so thorough inspections and problem-solving efforts are being conducted. Therefore, it is highly likely that Group Captain Shubhamshu Shukla will meet Sunita Williams at the space station.

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Last week, ISRO announced a deal with Axiom Space under the space flight agreement to send two Gaganyaan astronauts to the USA. The Human Space Flight Center (HSFC) of ISRO has appointed Group Captain Shubhamshu Shukla as the mission's chief pilot, with Group Captain Nair serving as a backup.

Group Captain Shukla to be the Primary Mission Pilot
Axiom-4 Mission, Indian Astronauts, Gaganyaan, Space Station, ISRO, NASA, SpaceX

Source: aajtak

Three others will accompany Group Captain Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS): Commander Peggy Whitson from the USA, ESA mission specialist Slawosz Ujanowski from Poland, and mission specialist Tibor Kapu from Hungary. Shukla will serve as the primary mission pilot.

Awaiting Clearance from International Space Station Panel

Their flight is currently pending approval. The Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP), consisting of representatives from NASA, European Space Agency, Russian Space Agency, Japanese Space Agency, and Canadian Space Agency, decides who goes to the space station and the nature of the mission.

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Meet the Indian Astronauts Heading to the Space Station
Group Captain Shubhamshu Shukla
Axiom-4 Mission, Indian Astronauts, Gaganyaan, Space Station, ISRO, NASA, SpaceX

Source: aajtak

Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Shubhamshu received his military training at NDA. He joined the Indian Air Force's fighter stream on June 17, 2006. He is a fighter combat leader and test pilot with 2000 flight hours. He has flown aircraft such as the Sukhoi-30MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and AN-32.

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Group Captain Prashant Balakrishnan Nair
Axiom-4 Mission, Indian Astronauts, Gaganyaan, Space Station, ISRO, NASA, SpaceX

Source: aajtak

Born on August 26, 1976, in Thiruvazhiyad, Kerala. He completed his training at NDA and was awarded the Sword of Honor at the Air Force Academy. He joined the Air Force's fighter jet program on December 19, 1998, and has become a fighter pilot. He is a CAT-A class flying instructor and test pilot with approximately 3000 flight hours.

Prashant Nair has flown the Su-30MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Hawk, Dornier, AN-32 aircraft. He is also a former student of the United States Staff College, DSSC, Wellington, and the FIS, Tambaram. He was a squadron leader of the Sukhoi-30 squadron.

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