Matter of immense pride, says NDA Commandant on selection of alumni for Gaganyaan Mission

Pune: The National Defence Academy Commandant Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar welcomed the selection of four of its alumni for the Gaganyaan Mission calling it matter of “immense pride”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced the names of four pilots who are undergoing training for the country’s maiden human space flight mission Gaganyaan.

The pilots are - Group Captain P Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander S Shukla.

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NDA Commandant said, “It is indeed a matter of immense pride for the National Defence Academy that the four astronauts selected to be part of the historic Gaganyaan Mission have all passed out from its hallowed portals. This unique achievement in pursuit of our country’s maiden manned mission is yet another milestone crossed by our cadets in conquering uncharted territory and bringing laurels to our nation, as was done by another distinguished alumni, Squadron Leader (later Wing Commander) Rakesh Sharma (retired), the first Indian in space way back in 1984.”

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“It motivates us at the NDA, the cradle of leadership of the Indian Armed Forces, to remain steadfast to the cause of our great nation and making it ‘Saare Jahaan Se Accha’ in every sense!” he said.