Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) • Indian Astronaut Group Captain

Born August 26, 1976 in Thiruvazhiyad, Kerala, India, Prasanth B. Nair is one of the four astronauts selected for India’s Gaganyaan crewed space mission to low Earth orbit, planned for 2026.

While he was in engineering college, Nair passed the National Defence Academy (NDA) entrance exam. After his initial training at NDA, he joined the Air Force Academy and graduated with the coveted Sword of Honour, which is awarded to the best-performing cadet. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Forces in December 1998. In 2013–14 Nair graduated at the top of the International Officers class from the U.S. Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) in Montgomery, Alabama. He also obtained his second Masters while a Directing Staff at Defence Services Staff College. Nair also trained at the Flying Instructors’ School, Tambaram, India and has been a Directing Staff at the same school.

A Category-A flying instructor, as of 2024, Nair has about 3,000 hours of flying experience. He has expertise handling varied aircraft, such as the MiG-21, Jaguar, MiG-29, Hawk, AN-32, HPT-32, HJT-16 and Su-30 MKI. He has commanded a Su-30 fighter squadron. He has a Masters in Philosophy in Defence & Strategic Studies. He is pursuing a Master of Technology degree (research) in aeronautics from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

A test and fighter pilot of group captain rank in the Indian Air Force (IAF), Nair is also the backup Astronaut for the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station (ISS), along with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is the Prime Crew.

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