Angad Pratap

Angad Pratap (born 17 July 1982) is a group captain and test pilot with the Indian Air Force (IAF) and one of the gaganyatri (astronaut designate) with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) selected for India’s human spaceflight programme.^[1][2] He is one among the four test pilots selected from the Indian Air Force to be part of the crew for the Gaganyaan mission.^[3][4]

Angad Pratap
Angad Pratap (2025)
Born	(1982-07-17) 17 July 1982 (age 43) Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India
Occupations	Indian Air Force officer, astronaut‑designate
Known for	Selected as astronaut for Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme

Early life and background

Angad Pratap was born in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. ^[5]He completed his schooling from Springdales School and later completed his undergraduate degree from the National Defense Academy (NDA). He was commissioned into the fighter stream of Indian Air Force in December 2004.^[6][7]

Military career

Pratap is serving as a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force along with his current responsibilities as an astronaut designate . He has nearly 2,000 hours of flying experience and has flown a variety of aircraft used by the Indian Air Force, including the Su‑30 MKI, MiG‑21, MiG‑29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, An‑32 among others. ^[8]He has also worked as a flying instructor and test pilot before being selected as an astronaut for India’s human spaceflight programme.^[9][6]

Astronaut selection and training

In 2019, Pratap was included as one among the test pilots in the selection process for astronauts by the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM), under the Indian Air Force (IAF). He was later shortlisted by IAM and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as one of the four astronaut‑designates for the Gaganyaan Programme.^[10] In early 2020, he has undergone basic astronaut training in Russia at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre. His training was completed in 2021. After returning to India, he continued further astronaut training at ISRO’s Human Spaceflight Centre (HSFC) in Bangalore. On 27 February 2024, his name was officially announced by the Prime Minister of India as part of India’s first human‑spaceflight crew.^[11]

Role in Gaganyaan programme

Pratap is part of India’s first astronaut cadre for the Gaganyaan programme. As of 2025, training continues in preparation for a crewed mission expected in 2027.^[12][13]