Thiruvananthapuram: The names of the four Air Force pilots selected for India’s human space flight mission Gaganyaan was revealed yesterday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, as the names of Group Captains Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla were announced, many wondered why there are no women astronauts in Gaganyaan mission!
PM Modi in his speech had emphasized on the huge contribution made by women scientists in the country’s space missions. Then why was no woman chosen for India’s first human space flight mission, Gaganyaan?
It is understood that, it is because the astronauts selected for maiden missions are picked from an array of test pilots. Test pilots are highly skilled aviators chosen for their special skills and have been known to remain calm even during an emergency. At the time of selection, India did not have a woman test pilot.
The Gaganyaan team undergoes regular training ahead of the mission. In the first phase, they received training from Russia for 13 months. The team came to India after completing the training in 2021. After this the Gaganyaan team acquired technical know-how related to the launch. The team also undergoes physical fitness training along with the practice of yoga for keeping themselves fit and healthy for the mission.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somnath has stated that, women astronauts will reach space as part of ISRO’s major missions in the near future. He said, “Very soon India will need mission specialists and women can well be accommodated in that role as astronauts, but the first few missions of crewed Gaganyaan will obviously be ferrying the crew that has been selected and trained.”
The Gaganyaan mission is the most skilled scientific mission ever undertaken by India. If successful, India would become the fourth country in the world to send an astronaut into space on an indigenously-made rocket. The feat has only been achieved so far by the US, China and Soviet Russia.
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