On 3 April 1984, Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to travel to space. He traveled on board Soyuz T-11 to the space station Salyut 7 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme.[1] In the late 2000s, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that it is working on the technologies required for sending humans to space as a part of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.[2][3]
In 2018, the Government of India formally announced the launch of the Gaganyaan programme, which aimed to put a man in space by 2022.[4] However, the plans were delayed partly due to the impact of COVID-19.[5] As per the revised timelines, the first crewed flight is planned as a part of Gaganyaan-4, scheduled to launch in 2027.[6][7]) On 27 February 2024, four men (Gaganyatri) – Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap, Prasanth Nair, and Shubhanshu Shukla, from the Indian Air Force were announced as candidates for the human spaceflight programme.[8] They trained at Russia's Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, where Sharma had trained in 1984.[9] Nair and Shukla trained at NASA facilities in preparation for their participation in the Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station.[10] Shukla flew to space on 25 June 2025 as a part of the mission,[11][12] while Nair was his backup.[13]
On 19 May 2024, Gopichand Thotakura became the first Indian to take a suborbital flight to space, as a part of the Blue Origin NS-25 mission.[14]
List
Apart from the Indians who had traveled to space, the list also includes those who have trained for space travel but have not traveled to space.Template:Efn
See also
Notes
References
- ↑ The down to earth Rakesh Sharma, Srinivasan, Pankaja(4 April 2010). Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ↑ ISRO considering manned space mission: Nair. The Hindu(9 August 2007). Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ↑ India announces first manned space mission. BBC News(27 January 2010). Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ↑ Indian will take national flag to space on board Gaganyaan by 2022, says PM Narendra Modi in Independence Day speech. The Hindustan Times(15 August 2018). Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ↑ Gaganyaan mission: No Gaganyaan unmanned flight this year. The Times of India(11 June 2020). Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ↑ India delays its 1st-ever Gaganyaan astronaut launch to 2026. Space.com(4 November 2024). Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ↑ India's Gaganyaan Mission in final phase, maiden crew launch in early 2027. India Today(6 May 2025). Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ↑ Astronauts on Isro's Gaganyaan mission trained at same centre in Russia where Rakesh Sharma underwent training. The Times of India(27 February 2024). Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ↑ Gaganyaan Mission: How 4 Indian astronauts were trained in Russia - Gaganyaan astronauts named. The Economic Times. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ↑ 2 Gaganyaan astronauts to go to ISS aboard the Axiom Mission 4. The Indian Express(6 July 2024). Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ↑ Shubhanshu Shukla: Astronaut becomes first Indian to set foot on ISS. BBC News(26 June 2025). Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ↑ Template:Cite press release
- ↑ Who is Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the 'prime astronaut' for Indo-US mission to space?. The Indian Express(3 August 2024). Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ↑ Meet Gopichand Thotakura, the 2nd Indian citizen in space after Rakesh Sharma. The Economic Times(12 April 2024). Retrieved 29 October 2024.