The Indian Astronaut Corps is a group of scientists affiliated to the Indian Space Research Organisation and pilot officers selected for participation in the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.
Background India had historically close relations with the Soviet Space Programme. On 20September 1982, following a rigorous selection and training process, the Indian Air Force selected two pilots, Rakesh Sharma and Ravish Malhotra for space travel as part of a joint programme between the IAF and the Soviet Interkosmos space agency. On 3 April 1984, Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian citizen to travel to space on board Soyuz T-11 as part of the Interkosmos programme, visiting Salyut 7 Space Station for a week.Following a commercial contract, ISRO selected P.Radhakrisnan Nair and Nagapathi C Bhat for a flight aborad STS-61I on the Space Shuttle Challenger in September 1986. The two crewmembers underwent training by NASA as payload specialists, but their flight was cancelled due to the Challenger disaster. Indian-born astronaut Kalpana Chawala would later fly into Space aboard STS-87 in 1997 after emigration for higher studies and selection to the NASA Astronaut group 15. She would perish during her next flight in the Columbia Disaster in 2003.
In 2018, the Government of India formally announced the launch of the Gaganyaan programme, which aimed to put a man in space by 2022. Before the Gaganyaan programme announcement in August 2018, human spaceflight was not a priority for ISRO, though related technologies have been developed since 2007, and it performed a Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment and a Pad Abort Test for the programme.
In December 2018, the Indian government approved a further 100 billion (US$1.5 billion) for a 7-day crewed flight of 2–3 astronauts.Indians To Spend 7 Days In Space In Rs. 10,000 Crore Gaganyaan Plan: 10 Points, NDTV, 28 December 2018. Three uncrewed flights, named Gaganyaan-1, Gaganyaan-2 and Gaganyaan-3 are scheduled to launch in the 2020s, followed by a crewed flight on an HLVM3 rocket. To date, mission has been postponed several times until all certification requirements are completed. However, the plans were delayed partly due to the impact of COVID-19. As per the revised timelines, the first crewed flight is planned as a part of Gaganyaan-4, scheduled to launch in 2027.
Selection of first batch In the spring of 2009, a full-scale mock-up of the crew capsule was built and delivered to Satish Dhawan Space Centre for astronaut training. 200 Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots were shortlisted for training. The selection process would begin with the candidates completing an ISRO questionnaire, after which they would be subjected to physical and psychological analyses. Only 4 of the 200 applicants were to be selected for the first space mission training, two flying and two reservists.Model of space crew module ready, The Hindu, 2 May 2009
ISRO signed a memorandum of understanding in 2009 with the IAF's Institute of Aerospace Medicine to conduct preliminary research on the psychological and physiological needs of the crew and the development of training facilities. The institute played a key role in determining astronaut training, the design of the crew capsule as per the anthropometric dimensions of the Indian population and a number of control and environmental systems as per psychological and physiological needs.
In January 2019, ISRO Chairman K. Sivan announced the creation of India's Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) in Bengaluru for training astronauts.ISRO set for April launch of Chandrayaan-2 after missed deadline. Vikram Gopal, Hindustan Times, 11 January 2019. The centre will train the selected astronauts in rescue and recovery operations, operations in a zero-gravity environment, and monitoring of the radiation environment. While the HSFC will initially operate out of ISRO headquarters, a dedicated campus is planned to be built near Bengaluru. The facility will include offices, housing, testing and integration facilities and will also employ a workforce of 1,000 people in the long term.
ISRO has also proposed a plan to establish an astronaut training centre at Challakere in Chitradurga district. The facility would take at least 2–3 years to be established after the government's approval. An astronaut training facility will be established on a proposed site near Kempegowda International Airport in Devanahalli, Karnataka.
International Support The HSFC and Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of Russian state corporation Roscosmos, signed an agreement on 1 July 2019 for cooperation in selection, support, medical examination, and space training of four Indian astronauts. An ISRO Technical Liaison Unit (ITLU) was approved to be set up in Moscow for coordinating activities. CNES is also supplying the flight system and training flight physicians and technical teams for the Indian Human Spaceflight Program. It is also collaborating and sharing its expertise in the domains of space medicine, astronaut health monitoring and life support.
Training As of September 2019, level 1 of the astronaut selection process was completed in Bengaluru. The selected test pilots underwent physical exercise tests, lab investigations, radiological tests, clinical tests, and evaluations on various facets of their psychology. By November 2019 the Indian Air Force had selected 12 potential astronauts who would then go to Russia for further training in two batches.
As selection criteria require test pilot experience, any females will not be part of the first Indian crewed spaceflight. The first crewed flight will consist of a crew of three with one backup and this team of four went to Russia for astronaut training.
In December 2019, the selection process came to a close, and four candidates began their 12-month training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center on 10 February 2020. The astronauts were trained for abnormal landings in various terrains, including forests, rivers, and sea. In February 2020, The Indian astronaut candidates completed their winter survival training. Following their training in Russia for unexpected and extreme situations, Indian astronauts were to return to India in March 2021 for the rest of their training in an Indian module. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, training was put on hold from 28 March, restarting on 12 May 2020. ISRO Astronauts then trained on an Static Mock-up Simulator of the Gaganyaan crew capsule for up to 18 hours a day.Critical parameters such as crew reachability, onboard audio-visual communication, emergency exit procedures, and responses to off-nominal mission scenarios were evaluated during this stage. ISRO also used VR technology for additional training purposes.
On the 91st Indian Air Force Day in 2023, the IAF released a video on Twitter, sharing a glimpse of the astronauts (without revealing their faces) training for the Gaganyaan mission. While two or three out of the four astronauts will be selected to fly on the first crewed flight, one of the astronauts on the mission previously flew on a mission to the ISS aboard Axiom-4 on 25 June 2025, as the second Indian astronaut in space after Rakesh Sharma. The four have been conducting mission-specific training in India since returning from Russia.
The crew training was briefly halted in 2025 due to academic obligations, Axiom Mission 4, and the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, whereupon the four astronauts were deployed for active service with the IAF. From 2026, twelve months prior to launch, the astronauts will resume their mission-specific training, which will concentrate on advanced simulations, operational preparedness, and survival skills at Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru.
Mission MITRA From April 2 to April 9, 2026, ISRO and the Institute of Aerospace Medicine launched Mission MITRA (Mapping of Interoperable Traits and Response Assessment) to examine crew dynamics, performance, and behavior in a space simulated environment. At an elevation of almost 4,000 meters, Mission MITRA was conducted in Likir, where Shubhanshu Shukla, Prasanth Nair, Ajit Krishnan, and Angad Pratap were placed in conditions such as hypoxia, low temperature and isolation. This is to comprehend the functioning of the Gaganyaan crew under pressure. The study focused on the crew's interpersonal skills, cognitive abilities, and physiological responses. The mission will produce knowledge on the effectiveness of decision-making under operational and environmental stress, as well as the interoperability between space crew and ground control teams. Researchers will keep an eye on integrated logistics, which evaluates communication protocols between the mission support teams and the field crew in Leh.
The goal of the mission, which was carried out in collaboration with the Department of Space, the Human Space Flight Centre, and defense organizations, is to generate standardized and structured data on team performance and psychological stability. Protoplanet, a Bengaluru-based start-up that supports operational standards, is in charge of facility management and compliance. It is anticipated that the information acquired from the experiment would improve simulation training programs and aid in the development of rules pertaining to crew interaction and survival, as well as the selection of crews for certain missions and the assignment of suitable tasks. The ESA CAVES served as an inspiration for the mission.
Protoplanet created the HOPE (Human Outer Planet Exploration) analog expedition, in which two simulated astronauts resided in cramped, isolated spaces that mirrored the circumstances humans might encounter on extended space trips. Everything was tested, including human behavior under severe situations and life support systems. HOPE will also assist in improving emergency response plans by validating habitat designs.
First Candidate announcement
On 27 February 2024, at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Prime Minister Modi announced the names of the four designated astronauts who will be eligible for future flights as part of the Gaganyaan program, as well as the Indo-US joint mission (Axiom-4) to the ISS. Kerala Governor, Arif Mohammad Khan, Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan, ISRO chairman S. Somanath and other high-ranking ISRO officials were present at the reveal. The selected astronauts are Group Captain Prasanth Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla. They were given Indian astronaut wings and the Gaganyaan mission logo and motto. The Indo-US joint mission astronaut is Shubhanshu Shukla, while Nair was selected as his backup. Both were thus selected to train at NASA facilities.
Through Axiom Mission 4, Shubhanshu Shukla and Prasanth Nair obtained practical experience in microgravity adaptation, spaceflight operations, launch protocols, and emergency reaction training. Crucial operational experience was gained during the mission, including ingress and egress procedures, international coordination, medical diagnostics, pre-launch quarantine, and health preparation standards. This will assist ISRO in preparing ground crews and astronauts for the challenges of human spaceflight. As of October 2025, about 90% of the Gaganyaan's development work has been finished. A human-rated launch vehicle, life support systems, crew safety technologies, and human-centric equipment are among the important technological components that are close to completion.
Uniform
Ground uniform