New Delhi is situated at the crossroads of cosmic aspirations and ground-level tensions. Indian Air Force Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, who is among the four astronaut-designates for India’s ambitious human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, has been summoned back to duty amid escalated tensions with Pakistan in the wake of the military operation, Operation Sindoor.
Ajit Krishnan, a participant at an international space conference held in Delhi, confirmed to ThePrint, “I have been called back by the IAF. You know, because of the current situation,” He added that he will leave early Thursday to join his team again, cutting short his planned stay until Friday.
Balancing Space Aspirations and National Security
Group Captain Krishnan and another IAF officer, Angad Pratap, are among the select crew in training to carry out the Gaganyaan mission, scheduled to be launched in 2027. While Krishnan is restored to active service, Pratap stays in Delhi and keeps making the case for a democratized space future. “There is a lot of secrecy around space at the moment. It needs to open up,” Pratap said. “Every man should be able to experience space travel.”
Meanwhile, the other two astronauts, Shubhanshu Shukla and Prasanth B Nair, are currently in the US, where they are readying for the Axiom-4 mission, which is slated to launch on May 29. This collaboration underscores India’s growing international space alliances as the country steadily counts down to its inaugural human spaceflight.
From Cockpit to Cosmos
Commissioned in 2003, Krishnan has almost 2,900 flying hours of experience. An experienced test pilot and instructor, he has flown a variety of aircraft such as the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Dornier, and An-32. Wearing his blue training fatigues, Krishnan said, “The training is never truly done, right? You keep learning and you keep getting better.”
Following their initial training in Moscow, Krishnan and his colleagues have been instrumental in helping ISRO set up an astronaut training centre in Bengaluru. “We were able to help the ISRO after the training we received from Moscow,” he added, showcasing the synergy between defense and scientific institutions.
Even as the nation defends its borders, its eyes remain set on the stars.
