The four astronauts who will be part of India's first human space flight program, Gaganyaan, were trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia, the same centre where Rakesh Sharma underwent training.
Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian to go into space in 1984. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC), at Star City, is about 30 kilometers north of Moscow.
It was named for the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin.
The center offers high-tech training facilities, including integrated simulators. It also offers survival training for many possible landing situations, including mountains, woodlands, marshes, deserts, in the Arctic and on the sea.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Tuesday the names of the four astronauts who will be in Gaganyaan, slated to be launched in 2024-25. The four chosen Indian Air Force pilots are Group Captain Prashanth Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla. The four astronauts were trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia.