# PM Modi unveils the four-person Gaganyaan space mission crew

URL: https://technosports.co.in/pm-modi-unveils-gaganyaan-space-mission-crew/  
Published: 2024-02-27  
Updated: 2024-02-27  
Author: Abhishek Jha

Over the course of three days, the [Gaganyaan Mission](https://www.isro.gov.in/Gaganyaan.html), also known as “Sky Craft” in Hindi, seeks to send the astronauts into a 400-kilometer orbit.

## PM Modi unveils the four-person Gaganyaan space mission crew

As stated in a government release, the four officers are Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap, and Shubhanshu Shukla.

> It was a very special moment for me to hand over wings to the four Indian astronaut-designates. They reflect the hopes, aspirations and optimism of 140 crore Indians.   
>   
> India is proud of Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad… [pic.twitter.com/i0oseaxd4o](https://t.co/i0oseaxd4o)
>
> — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) [February 27, 2024](https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1762419715723481220?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

The officers were chosen from a pool of Indian Air Force pilots following rigorous physical and psychological testing.

During a function on Tuesday at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Prime Minister Narendran Modi gave the four “astronaut wings.”

![](https://technosports.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2-2-1024x682.webp)
*PM Modi unveils the four-person Gaganyaan space mission crew*

![](https://technosports.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2a-1024x683.webp)
*PM Modi unveils the four-person Gaganyaan space mission crew*
*PM Modi unveils the four-person Gaganyaan space mission crew*

“The four astronaut-designates are not just four names or individuals, they are four ‘Shakti’ of carrying the aspirations of 140 crore Indians into space,” he remarked, earning a standing ovation for all four of them.

“An Indian is traveling to space forty years later. The timing, countdown, and rocket, however, belong to us this time,” he continued, citing Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who flew to space in 1984 as a member of a Soviet mission.

![](https://technosports.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2b-1024x728.webp)
*PM Modi unveils the four-person Gaganyaan space mission crew*

![](https://technosports.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2c-1024x723.webp)
*PM Modi unveils the four-person Gaganyaan space mission crew*
*PM Modi unveils the four-person Gaganyaan space mission crew*

A livable space capsule will be launched as part of the Gaganyaan mission, which would cost India roughly 90.23 billion rupees ($1.1 billion). The capsule will splash down in the Indian Ocean upon return.

India, which has emerged as a leader in[low-cost space](https://technosports.co.in/?s=+low-cost+space&post_type=post) launches globally, would become just the fourth country, following the US, China, and Russia, to launch a crewed mission into space on a homegrown rocket.