Prime Minister Narendra Modi bestowed the astronaut wings and introduced to the world the four astronaut-designates: Group Captain Prashanth Nair, Group Captain Angad Prathap, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, for Indian Space Research Organisation's (Isro) Gaganyaan's mission .

• All four, short-listed four years ago, are Indian Air Force (IAF) test pilots from Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) in Bengaluru. 
• The announcement was made during Modi’s visit to the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (Isro) Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) research institute in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
• They were awarded “Antriksh Yatri Pankh” (astronaut wings) by the Prime Minister at a ceremony .