Prasanth Nair

Group Captain Prasanth Nair
Nair in 2024
Born	(1976-08-26) August 26, 1976 (age 48) Palakkad, Kerala
Nationality	Indian
Alma mater	NSS College of Engineering National Defence Academy United States Staff College IISc Bangalore
Space career
Astronaut Designate
Selection	2019
Military career
Allegiance	India
Service / branch	Indian Air Force
Years of service	1998–present [1]
Rank	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]

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]

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

Prasanth is the designated commander of this crew

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]}

References

1. "Service Record for Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair 25284 F(P) at Bharat Rakshak.com". Bharat Rakshak.
2. "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. 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. Archived from the original on 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
6. "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. Archived from the original on 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. Archived from the original on 31 July 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. Archived from the original on 20 March 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.