India's Astronaut to Join ISS Mission in 2024

Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced that one of the four astronauts selected for India's Gaganyaan mission will travel to the International Space Station (ISS) in a joint effort with NASA and private firm Axiom Space. This mission, known as Axiom-4, is scheduled for launch no earlier than August 2024 from Kennedy Space Center. The selected astronaut, referred to as a 'Gaganyaatri', is currently undergoing advanced training at ISRO's Astronauts Training Facility in Bengaluru, having previously completed basic training in Russia. The Gaganyaan mission aims to demonstrate India's human spaceflight capabilities, with significant progress made in propulsion systems and crew module design. This collaboration was formalized following an agreement signed between ISRO and Axiom Space, highlighted during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US.