1. Rakesh Sharma
Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, is a former Indian Air Force pilot who flew aboard Soyuz T-11 on 3 April 1984 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme. Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian citizen to enter space when he flew aboard the Soviet rocket Soyuz T-11 launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic on 3 April 1984. The Soyuz T-11 spacecraft carrying cosmonauts including Sharma docked and transferred the three member Soviet-Indian international crew, consisting of Yury Malyshev, and Gennadi Strekalov, to the Salyut 7 Orbital Station. Sharma spent 7 days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes aboard the Salyut 7 during which his team conducted scientific and technical studies which included forty-three experimental sessions. His work was mainly in the fields of bio-medicine and remote sensing. The crew held a joint television news conference with officials in Moscow and then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. When Indira Gandhi asked Sharma how India looked from outer space, he replied, "Sare Jahan Se Accha" (the best in the world). This is the title of a patriotic poem by Iqbal , that continues to be popular today. With Sharma's voyage aboard Soyuz T-11, India became the 14th nation to send a man to outer space.
Astronauts of Indian origin
1. Kalpana Chawla
The first ever woman of Indian origin to visit space was Kalpana Chawla. Born in Karnal, Punjab, Chawla went to America to study engineering in Texas. She ultimately received a PhD in aerospace engineering and thus began her journey toward space.
She was one of the six-member crew on STS-87 in 1997 and travelled over 10.4 million miles. Her second mission was STS-107 in 2003. The fatal mission ended in disaster when the shuttle disintegrated while re-entering Earth after a successful mission in space.
Chawla was awarded Congressional Space Medal of Honour, posthumously.
2. Sunitha Williams
Sunita Williams was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998 and is a veteran of two space missions, Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33. NASA Expedition 14/15 (December 9, 2006 to June 22, 2007). Ms. Williams was launched with the crew of STS-116 on December 9, 2006, docking with the International Space Station on December 11, 2006 and Expedition 32/33 (July 14 to November 18, 2012). Again she was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. While on-board, she established a world record for females with four spacewalks totalling 29 hours and 17 minutes.
3. Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari
Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari, an Indian-American astronaut test pilot, was born on June 24, 1977. He holds more than 2,000 flying hours and is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States Naval Test Pilot School, and United States Air Force Academy graduate. In the American Air Force, he has the rank of colonel.
In June 2017, Chari was selected for NASA Astronaut Group 22, and reported for duty in August to begin two years of training as an astronaut.
In December 2020, Chari was selected to be a part of the Artemis Team, a group of astronauts "to help pave the way for the next lunar missions including sending the first woman and next man to walk on the lunar surface in 2024." The same month, he became the first astronaut from Group 22 to be selected for a space mission, SpaceX Crew-3, which he commanded. Chari is the first NASA rookie to command a spaceflight since Joe Engle, who commanded the STS-2 mission in 1981.
On March 23, 2022, Chari and ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer exited the Quest Joint Airlock on the ISS and performed an EVA.
4. Sirisha Bandla
American aeronautical engineer Sirisha Bandla, born in India in 1988,and is another Indian American astronaut. She works for Virgin Galactic as the Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations. After Rakesh Sharma, Kalpana Chawla, and Sunita Williams, she was the third Indian-origin woman to travel to space in the Virgin Galactic Unity 22 project.
