Indian-American US Air Force colonel, Astronaut Raja Chari Selected For NASA Manned Mission To Moon and beyond. He is part of the 18 astronauts’ team for this mission, under which half of it is women. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced the names for their Artemis lunar exploration/landing program. The program will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024. The training for it has also begun.
The names were revealed by US Vice President Mike Pence during the eighth National Space Council meeting at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre. “I give you the heroes who will carry us to the Moon and beyond; The Artemis Generation,” said Vice President Pence Raja Chari (43) has become the only Indian-American to be part of this mission. He graduated from US Air Force Academy and US Naval Test Pilot School. In 2017, he was selected by NASA for Astronaut Candidate Class. He is the third Indian-origin astronaut to work for NASA.
Thanks @SenJoniErnst proud to be part of the team working to take humans to the moon to stay. And proud (& thankful for the upbringing) to be an Iowan https://t.co/0hRXMzQtgW
— Raja Chari (@Astro_Raja) December 10, 2020
👨✈️ Pilot with 2,000 hours of flight time
🇺🇸 @USAirForce officer
👨🚀 NASA AstronautMeet @Astro_Raja, an initial member of our @NASAArtemis team who will help pave the way for the next human missions on and around the Moon. pic.twitter.com/bc6ctjUL5H
— NASA Aeronautics (@NASAaero) December 10, 2020
