Ajit Krishnan

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Ajit Krishnan
Group Captain Ajit Krishnan.jpg
Krishnan in 2024
Born (1982-04-19) 19 April 1982 (age 43)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Alma mater
Occupations
Space career
ISRO astronaut
Selection 1st Gaganyatri Group (2019)
Military career
AllegianceIndia
BranchAir Force Ensign of India.svg  Indian Air Force
Service years2003–present
Rank Group captain
UnitIndian Air Force
Combat operations Operation Sindoor

Ajit Krishnan (born 19 April 1982) is a group captain and test pilot with the Indian Air Force and gaganyatri (astronaut) with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). In 2019, he was one of the four men identified to be trained for the Gaganyaan mission of the ISRO, part of the Indian human spaceflight programme.

Contents

Early life and education

Ajit Krishnan was born on 19 April 1982 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He completed his schooling at various Kendriya Vidyalayas across India. [1] He joined the National Defence Academy as a cadet and graduated in 2002. He graduated from the Air Force Academy and received the President’s gold medal and the Sword of Honour for overall merit. [2] [3] He also attended the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, Tamil Nadu. He later completed a Master of Science (by research) at the Indian Institute of Science, focusing on manual override techniques for de-orbiting maneuver of spacecraft. [3] [4] . His thesis title was Comparison of On-Orbit Manual Attitude Control Methods for Non-Docking Spacecraft Through Virtual Reality Simulation [5] and he published two research papers at IEEE SPACE conference [6] [7] .

Defence career

Krishnan was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on 21 June 2003. He has over 2,900 flying hours of experience, in aircraft such as Antonov An-32, Dornier Do 228, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, Mikoyan MiG-29, and Sukhoi Su-30 MKI. He initially served as a flying instructor before qualifying as a test pilot. [2] [3] [8] He was promoted to the rank of wing commander in 2016 and to group captain in December 2020. [2] [3] After being deputed to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), he was temporarily recalled to active operational duty in May 2025 during Operation Sindoor . [9]

Astronaut career

Krishnan (second from right) at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center Gaganyaan crew at Russia.jpg
Krishnan (second from right) at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

In 2019, Krishnan was shortlisted by the Institute of Aerospace Medicine for the Gaganyaan programme of the ISRO. He was among four candidates selected for training as a part of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. [10] [11] He trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia from 2020 to 2021. [12] He later underwent mission-specific training at ISRO's Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru. [13]

On 27 February 2024, ISRO officially introduced Krishnan as a member of the astronaut team for Gaganyaan, India's planned first human spaceflight mission. [14] As of 2025, he continued to train as part of the Gaganyaan crew, with the first crewed mission expected in 2027. [15] [16] Though he returned to active duty with the Indian Air Force for a short period in May 2025, ISRO clarified that it did not affect his position as an astronaut-designate. [9]

References

  1. ↑ Mukunth, Vasudevan (2 March 2024). "Gaganyaan astronauts: The chosen four". The Hindu . Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "All you need to know about the Gaganyaan astronauts". NDTV . Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Ajit Krishnan". Britannica . Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  4. ↑ "ISRO Gaganyaan: Educational qualifications of the four astronauts". The Times of India . 28 February 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  5. ↑ "IISc thesis repository". 6 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  6. ↑ "Human-in-the-Loop Spacecraft Maneuvers: Investigating Human Factors Through VR and Machine Learning". 6 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  7. ↑ "Comparison of View Orientation in Manned Spacecraft Through Virtual Reality Simulation". 6 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  8. ↑ "Ajit Krishnan". International Astronautical Federation. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  9. 1 2 Pillai, Soumya (7 May 2025). "Gaganyaan astronaut-designate recalled to IAF unit after Operation Sindoor". ThePrint . Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  10. ↑ Pandey, Geeta (27 February 2024). "Gaganyaan: India names astronauts for maiden space flight". BBC News . Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  11. ↑ Rajwi, Tiki (27 February 2024). "ISRO's Gaganyaan mission: PM Modi announces Indian astronaut designates". The Hindu . Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  12. ↑ "ISRO's astronaut trainees return after completing training in Russia". The Hindustan Times . 14 March 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  13. ↑ Kumar, Chethan. "Nair, Prathap, Krishnan and Chauhan listed for Gaganyaan mission". The Times of India . Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  14. ↑ "PM announces Gaganyaan astronauts". BBC News . 27 February 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  15. ↑ Koshy, Jacob (6 May 2025). "Gaganyaan mission moved to first quarter of 2027". The Hindu . Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  16. ↑ "Gaganyaan: India names astronauts for maiden space flight". BBC News . 27 February 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
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