Two Indian Astronauts Shortlisted To Begin Training With NASA In August

Two Indian astronauts will begin training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas in August, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced.

The training is in preparation for the upcoming Indo-US space mission to the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled to launch by the end of 2024. One of the two astronauts will join the mission, which will be executed by American private firms SpaceX and Axiom.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to the US in June 2023, US President Joe Biden announced the Indo-US space mission and said that NASA would train Indian astronauts for it. The crewed Indo-US space mission is scheduled for launch by the end of 2024. 

ISRO's choice of sending an Indian astronaut to space is limited to only the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon programmes. Explaining why this is so, Dr Somanath said the whole programme is based on the idea of working together such as the International Space Station (ISS).

"NASA offered us a seat from its available opportunities. It is contractually bound for NASA to go through the available vehicles. So it is natural for them to offer to us. But being a commercial contract, we have to go through the agreements with other partners. We are agreeing to that. There are not many choices. The one we got is a choice that the US and NASA gave us," Dr Somanath told NDTV.

Dr Somanath said there is no definite timeline for the launch as NASA may use the available vehicles for their national commitments. The launch in which the Indian astronaut would fly was scheduled later this year, but it will be stretched as ‘many things are happening’.