Prasanth Nair

Last updated
Prasanth Nair
Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair.jpg
Nair in 2024
Born (1976-08-26) August 26, 1976 (age 48)
Palakkad, Kerala
NationalityIndian
Alma mater NSS College of Engineering
National Defence Academy
United States Staff College
Space career
Astronaut candidate
Selection2019
Military career
AllegianceFlag of India.svg  India
Service / branchAir Force Ensign of India.svg  Indian Air Force
Years of service1998–present [1]
Rank Indian IAF OF-5.svg Group Captain
Service number 25284

Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair is a qualified flight instructor and a test pilot in the Indian Air Force. [2] Nair is one of the four designated astronauts trained by ISRO to fly aboard the Gaganyaan crewed flight. [3]

Contents

Early life

Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair was born in Nemmara, Palakkad, Kerala on 26 August 1976 to Vilambil Balakrishnan Nair, a retired engineer. [2] [3] Nair spent a portion of his childhood in Kuwait but had to return to India after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. After his return, Nair attended the Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Pallavur and ranked as one of the toppers in the SSLC examinations in the year 1992 and again in 1994. After completing school, Nair attended the NSS College of Engineering for 7 months before appearing in the NDA Exam. [4]

Prasanth is the designated commander of this crew Gaganyaan Crew.jpg
Prasanth is the designated commander of this crew

IAF career

Nair was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in December 1998. He specialized in flying the Sukhoi Su-30 MKI but also had experience flying the MiG-21 and the An-32. [5] He attended the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and the Flying Instructors School, Tambaram to become a Category A Flight Instructor in the Indian Air force. [6]

Gaganyaan mission

On 27 February 2024, Nair was named as the commander of the 4 member crew designated for the Gaganyaan mission developed by ISRO. [6] He was selected as backup for Shubhanshu Shukla on a private mission to the ISS called Axiom-4 and selected for training at NASA facilities. [7]

Personal life

Nair is married to the actress Lena since January 2024. [2] [8] [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ISRO</span> Indian national space and aeronautics agency

The Indian Space Research Organisation is India's national space agency. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister of India, with the Chairman of ISRO also serving as the chief executive of the DoS. It is primarily responsible for space-based operations, space exploration, international space cooperation and the development of related technologies. The agency maintains a constellation of imaging, communication and remote sensing satellites. It operates the GAGAN and IRNSS satellite navigation systems. It has sent three missions to the Moon and one mission to Mars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottapalam</span> Town in Kerala, India

Ottapalam is a town, taluk and municipality in the Palakkad District, Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ottapalam taluk. Ottapalam is located about 34 km (21 mi) from district headquarters Palakkad. Ottapalam is located along the banks of Bharathapuzha, second longest river of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NSS College of Engineering</span> Engineering college in Kerala, India

NSS College of Engineering, Palakkad is the fourth engineering educational institution established in Kerala, India. It was founded in 1960 by Nair Service Society. The college is affiliated to the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University since its inception in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satish Dhawan Space Centre</span> Spaceport in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India

Satish Dhawan Space Centre – SDSC, is the primary spaceport of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), located in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LVM3</span> Indian expendable medium-lift launch vehicle, developed by ISRO

The Launch Vehicle Mark-3 or LVM3 is a three-stage medium-lift launch vehicle developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Primarily designed to launch communication satellites into geostationary orbit, it is also due to launch crewed missions under the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. LVM3 has a higher payload capacity than its predecessor, GSLV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Human Spaceflight Programme</span> ISROs human spaceflight program

The Indian Human Spaceflight program is an ongoing programme by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to develop the technology needed to launch crewed orbital spacecraft into low Earth orbit. Three uncrewed flights, named Gaganyaan-1, Gaganyaan-2 and Gaganyaan-3 are scheduled to launch in 2024, followed by crewed flight in 2024 on an HLVM3 rocket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaganyaan</span> Indian crewed spacecraft

Gaganyaan is an Indian crewed orbital spacecraft intended to be the formative spacecraft of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. The spacecraft is being designed to carry three people, and a planned upgraded version will be equipped with rendezvous and docking capabilities. In its maiden crewed mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s largely autonomous 5.3-metric ton capsule will orbit the Earth at 400 km altitude for up to seven days with a two- or three-person crew on board. The first crewed mission was originally planned to be launched on ISRO's HLVM3 rocket in December 2021. As of November 2024, it is expected to be launched no earlier than 2026.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University College Thiruvananthapuram</span> Constituent college of the University of Kerala

University College, Thiruvananthapuram, often abbreviated as UCT, is a public college situated in Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram, India. Established in 1866, it is one of the oldest colleges in Kerala. The college has been accorded "College with Potential for Excellence" (CPE) status by the University Grants Commission. University College is identified as a heritage institution by the Government of Kerala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lena (actress)</span> Indian actress, author, scriptwriter (born 1981)

Lena Mohan Kumar, known by stage name Lenaa, is an Indian actress, author, and screenwriter who appears predominantly in Malayalam cinema. In a career that spans over 25 years, Lenaa has worked in over 175 films in 5 languages, including blockbusters as well as critically acclaimed films in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. Somanath</span> Indian aerospace engineer

Dr. Sreedhara Panicker Somanath is an Indian aerospace engineer serving as the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Under his chairmanship, ISRO carried out the third Indian lunar exploration mission named Chandrayaan-3. The lander named Vikram and the rover named Pragyan landed near the lunar south pole region on 23 August 2023 at 18:04 IST, making India the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the lunar south pole and the fourth country to demonstrate soft landing on the Moon. This landing gained India a proud history.

Dr.V. R. Lalithambika is an Indian engineer and scientist who has been working with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). She is a specialist in Advanced Launcher Technologies and was leading the Gaganyaan mission to send Indian astronauts to space by 2022.

The Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) is a body under the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to coordinate the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. The agency will be responsible for implementation of the Gaganyaan project. The first crewed flight is planned for 2024 on a home-grown LVM3 rocket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vyommitra</span> Indian robot astronaut

Vyommitra is a female humanoid robot designed for space travel. She was designed at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to function aboard the spacecraft Gaganyaan, a crewed orbital spacecraft. Vyommitra was first unveiled on 22 January 2020 at the Human Spaceflight and Exploration Symposium in Bengaluru.

Gaganyaan-1 will be the first uncrewed test flight of the Gaganyaan programme, with launch tentatively planned for March 1, 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bharatiya Antariksha Station</span> Proposed Indian Space Station

The Bharatiya Antariksha Station, is a planned modular space station to be constructed by India and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The space station would weigh 52 tonnes and maintain an orbit of approximately 400 kilometres above the Earth, where astronauts could stay for 3-6 months. Originally planned to be completed by 2030, it was later postponed to 2035 due to delays caused by technical issues related with the Gaganyaan crewed spaceflight mission and the COVID-19 pandemic in India. As of December 2023, the first module is expected to be launched in 2028 on an LVM3 launch vehicle, with the remaining modules to be launched by 2035 on the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (Soorya).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 in Kerala</span> List of events

Events in the year 2024 in Kerala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shubhanshu Shukla</span> Indian test pilot and astronaut (born 1985)

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is an Indian Air Force test pilot and one of the four astronaut candidates who will fly to space as part of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaganyaan-4</span> Indian spaceflight, planned 2026

Gaganyaan-4 will be the first crewed test flight of the Gaganyaan programme, with launch planned for 2026.

Gaganyaan-3 will be the third uncrewed test flight of the Gaganyaan programme, with launch planned in 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ladakh Human Analogue Mission</span> Human analogue mission

Ladakh Human Analogue Mission (LHAM) is a human analog mission by ISRO's Human Space Flight Centre, AAKA Space Studio, University of Ladakh and IIT Bombay in collaboration with the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh. The mission began on 1 November 2024. Mission aims to make suitable interplanetary conditions for astronaut training. This is India's first human analogue mission.

References

  1. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/25284
  2. 1 2 3 "Astronaut pick from Kerala's Palakkad is son of engineer; Malayalam actress Lena says they married earlier this month". The Indian Express. 2024-02-27. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  3. 1 2 Naha, Abdul Latheef (2024-02-27). "Astronaut-designate Prashant Nair brings cheer to his native Nenmara". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  4. "Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair: From Nenmara school's Wall of Excellence to the captain of Gaganyaan Mission". Onmanorama. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  5. "Who is Prashanth Nair, the Kerala test pilot on Gaganyaan mission?". Onmanorama. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  6. 1 2 "Meet ISRO's 'Gaganyaan' Astronauts: From President's Gold Medalist To IAF Fighter Leader". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  7. "Who is Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the 'prime astronaut' for Indo-US mission to space?". The Indian Express. 2024-08-03. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
  8. "Here's how Lenaa received her marriage proposal with Gaganyaan astronaut Prashant Nair - deets inside". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  9. "Malayalam actor Lena announces she is married to Gaganyaan astronaut Prasanth Nair". indiatoday.in. India Today. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.