Wing Commander Nikhil Rath of the Indian Air Force has made it to the?next level of selection of astronauts for the ambitious Gaganyaan mission scheduled to take off in 2022.
According to Odisha Sun Times,?Wing Commander Nikhil Rath, a resident of Balangir district, Odisha, has been selected among 25 test pilots in preliminary list of astronauts at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Bengaluru.?
Rath will undertake training for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)¡¯s first manned mission to space in 2022. Nikhil is the son of Ashok Rath, a Balangir-based senior lawyer and Kusum Rath, a member of Women Commission.
'#MissionGaganyaan -IAF completed Level-1 of Indian Astronaut selection at Institute of Aerospace Medicine. Selected Test Pilots underwent extensive physical exercise tests, lab investigations, radiological tests, clinical tests & evaluation on various facets of their psychology', Indian Air Force tweeted.
¡°It is a matter of pride not only for me but also for Balangir as well as Odisha. He has been selected to undergo training for the space project. Our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2018, had declared that three Air Force personnel will be finalised for ISRO¡¯s space mission for which he had sanctioned Rs 10,000 crore. Nikhil qualified the first level of selection process for the project,¡± the Odisha Sun Times quoted?Ashok Rath as saying.
¡°I am very happy that his hard work paid off. He will definitely qualify and will be selected in next level for the space project,¡± said his mother.
After completing his schooling from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Balangir in 1998, Nikhil did his Intermediate from Delhi Public School in 2000. Reports state that, Rath cleared the entrance examination and joined National Defence Academy (NDA) as a cadet. He joined the Indian Air Force in 2003.?
The Gangayaan project aims to send a three-member crew to space for at least seven days and is scheduled for the year 2022. The project was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech this year.?
The spacecraft, which is being developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), consists of a service module and a crew module, collectively known as the Orbital Module.
The Indian space agency displayed the Gaganyaan crew model and orange space suits at the Bengaluru Space Expo's 6th edition earlier this year. The space suit were developed at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram. The total fund requirement for the Gaganyaan Programme is within Rs 10,000 crore.?