Ajit Krishnan is an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot and an astronaut. In February 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared Ajit Krishnan as one of the Group Captains of ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission, India’s inaugural human space flight mission.
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Wiki/Biography
Ajit Krishnan was born on Monday, 19 April 1982 (age 42 years; as of 2024) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. His zodiac sign is Aries. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA). He studied at the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington, Tamil Nadu. [1]Times Now
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 9″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
There is not much information about his parents and siblings.
Wife & Children
His wife, Priya Krishnan, is a cardiologist at Apollo Hospital. The couple has a daughter named Ananya and a son named Arjun.
Career
On 21 June 2003, Ajit Krishnan was commissioned into the IAF’s fighter stream. He is an Indian Air Force (IAF) test pilot from the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) in Bengaluru. He is also a flying instructor, who has been distinguished by an impressive achievement of approximately 2,900 hours of flying experience. This extensive experience covers a diverse range of aircraft, including the advanced Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Dornier, and An-32.
Mission Gaganyaan
On 27 February 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed that Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Angad Pratap, Ajit Krishnan, and Shubhanshu Shukla are the four astronauts were undergoing training for Gaganyaan, India’s first human space flight mission, which is said to be launched in 2024-25. At an event held at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented ‘astronaut wings’ to the four Indian astronaut-designates.
It was a very special moment for me to hand over wings to the four Indian astronaut-designates. They reflect the hopes, aspirations and optimism of 140 crore Indians.
India is proud of Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad… pic.twitter.com/i0oseaxd4o
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 27, 2024
All candidates chosen for Gaganyaan were reported to be test pilots, as it was India’s inaugural human spaceflight mission. Following numerous rounds of selection, the IAM and ISRO shortlisted the final four test pilots. They commenced training in Russia in 2021, albeit facing delays due to Covid-19. Subsequently, the four have been undergoing diverse training modules in India, facilitated by multiple agencies. [2]Economic Times Scheduled for launch in 2025, the Gaganyaan mission is India’s first crewed space mission that aims to send four astronauts into a low Earth orbit for three days, and safely return them by landing in the Indian Ocean.
Awards & Honours
- President’s Gold Medal
- Sword of Honour at the Air Force Academy
Facts/Trivia
- Ajit Krishnan ranks as the second most experienced pilot among the four chosen IAF pilots after Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, who has approximately 3,000 hours of flying time. [3]The Hindu
- He has received many awards for his extraordinary performance at the Air Force Training Academy. [4]News Nine
