Gaganyaan mission symbol of new chapter in journey of Atmanirbhar Bharat: Rajnath
At an event hosted by the IAF at Subroto Park, Singh felicitates the 4 Gaganyatris
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajith Krishnan and Group Captain Angad Pratap during the felicitation ceremony of Gaganyatris, in New Delhi, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. PTI
Unlock Exclusive Insights with The Tribune Premium
Take your experience further with Premium access. Thought-provoking Opinions, Expert Analysis, In-depth Insights and other Member Only Benefits
Advertisement
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said Gaganyaan mission symbolises a "new chapter" in the journey of Atmanirbhar Bharat and called astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and the other three chosen Gaganyatris as "gems".
At an event hosted by the IAF at Subroto Park here, Singh felicitated the four Gaganyatris.
Advertisement
The ceremony comes after the successful Axiom 4 mission, of which Shukla was a part.
Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla are the four chosen Gaganyatris.
Their names were revealed for the first time in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram in February 2024.
Advertisement
The Gaganyaan project, formally announced by Modi in 2018, aims to send a three-member crewed flight into the 400 km-orbit for a three-day mission in 2027.
Advertisement
Advertisement