List of Indian and Indian-Origin Astronauts Who Made History in Space

India has produced many space heroes. Some were Indian citizens, while others were of Indian origin but held citizenship of other countries. Here’s a clear and simple list with details about each person.

Indian Citizens Who Went to Space

1. Rakesh Sharma

• Year: 1984
• Mission: Soyuz T-11 (Soviet Union)
• Details: Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian citizen to go to space. He flew as part of a Soviet mission and stayed on the space station Salyut 7 for 7 days. He was a pilot in the Indian Air Force and is known for saying “Sare Jahan Se Achha” when asked how India looked from space.

2. Shubhanshu Shukla

• Year: 2025
• Mission: Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), by SpaceX
• Details: Shukla is a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force. He became the second Indian citizen to travel to space after 41 years. He is part of a private international mission to the International Space Station (ISS). His mission includes over 60 scientific experiments, and it supports India’s future human space mission, Gaganyaan.

Indian-Origin People Who Went to Space (Non-Indian Citizens)

Name	Year(s) of Flight	Citizenship	Space Agency / Company	Highlights
Kalpana Chawla	1997, 2003	American	NASA	First woman of Indian origin in space. Died in the Columbia disaster in 2003.
Sunita Williams	2006, 2012, 2024	American	NASA	Record for most spacewalks by a woman. Ran a marathon in space.
Raja Chari	2021–22	American	NASA / SpaceX	Commander of SpaceX Crew-3. Selected for NASA’s Artemis Moon program.
Sirisha Bandla	2021	American	Virgin Galactic	Flew on Unity 22. Third Indian-origin woman in space.
Gopi Thotakura	2024	American	Blue Origin	First Indian-origin space tourist. Flew on a suborbital spaceflight.

Others Worth Mentioning

• Anil Menon: Indian-origin American. Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021, but has not yet flown to space.
• Ravish Malhotra: Indian Air Force officer. Trained as backup for Rakesh Sharma in 1984 but did not fly.