It gives us immense pleasure to announce the selection of esteemed alumnus, Jitendra Singh, Aerospace Engineering (Batch 1993-97), of Punjab Engineering College (Deemed to be University), Chandigarh, and a specialist in Aircraft Propulsion and Flight Testing from TU Delft and ISAE SUPAERO, has been selected to undergo training in the 1st batch of Commercial Astronaut program at the Spaceflight Institute in France.
He is India's first candidate in the first cohort of the Spaceflight Institute. Mr. Singh, along with a global crew of 06 members, is presently undertaking Track 1 module of Phase-1, which entails ground subjects related to psychology, isolation, communication, space exploration & intensive survival training.
This achievement marks a historic milestone for India's presence in the evolving field of commercial spaceflight. Mr. Singh’s selection not only highlights the increasing opportunities in commercial space exploration but also establishes India’s footprint in the global aerospace community.
This pioneering effort bridges the gap between government-led space programs and the emerging commercial spaceflight sector. He remarked that he had always been inspired by the Aerospace department alumni, Astronaut Kallpana Chawla and aspired to take the rich legacy of Kalpana Chawla forward in the service of mankind. He owes this to his beloved alma mater Punjab Engineering College.