Top 10 Indian Astronauts Who Made India Proud: National Astronaut Day 2025 is a special day to honour the brave and intelligent people who have travelled to space and made India proud. From the renowned Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to travel to space, to Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams, who inspired millions with their bravery and accomplishments as women, Indian-origin astronauts have made a significant impact on the history of space exploration. Young individuals like Raja Chari, Sirisha Bandla and Anil Menon are carrying on this illustrious tradition today and advancing Indian talent in global space missions.

Despite their different backgrounds, these astronauts have one common goal: to push the boundaries of humankind and explore the unknown. We honour their contributions, celebrate their journeys and encourage the next generation to strive for greatness on this day.

Top 10 Indian Astronauts Who Made India Proud Globally

Here’s a look at the top 10 Indian and Indian-origin astronauts who have made the country proud with their amazing space missions are listed here.

1. Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian woman who went into space, was born in Karnal, Haryana, India. Among the two NASA missions she flew on was STS-107, which tragically ended in 2003 when the rocket plane crashed just before her landing, and she unfortunately died. She broke down barriers for women in science and is a symbol of inspiration and bravery.

 
 
 
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2. Rakesh Sharma

national astronaut day 2025 top 10 indian astronauts who made the nation proud (1)Top 10 Indian Astronauts who made the nation proud (Image: Instagram)

Rakesh Sharma was India's first astronaut, who was born in Patiala, Punjab. In 1984, he flew on the Soviet Soyuz T-11. He is still regarded as a national hero because of his famous response, "Saare Jahan Se Achha," when asked how India appeared from space by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

3. Sunita Williams

national astronaut day 2025 top 10 indian astronauts who made the nation proud (2)Top 10 Indian Astronauts who made the nation proud (Image: Instagram)

Sunita Williams is an Indian origin NASA astronaut who was born in Ohio, USA, to an Indian father from Gujarat. She has spent more than 300 days in space on several missions and holds the record for the longest spacewalk duration by a female. Recently, she returned to Earth after spending approximately 9 months.

4. Raja Chari

national astronaut day 2025 top 10 indian astronauts who made the nation proud (3)Top 10 Indian Astronauts who made the nation proud (Image: Instagram/NASA)

Indian-born Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the United States. He was a NASA astronaut and a colonel in the U.S. Air Force who led the Spacex Crew-3 mission to the ISS in 2021. Many people admire his leadership in space exploration.

5. Sirisha Bandla

national astronaut day 2025 top 10 indian astronauts who made the nation proud (4)Top 10 Indian Astronauts who made the nation proud (Image: Virgin Galactic)

Sirisha, the third woman of Indian origin to fly into space, was born in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, and grew up in the United States. She spoke about commercial space research while flying with Virgin Galactic's Unity 22 mission in 2021.

6. Anil Menon

national astronaut day 2025 top 10 indian astronauts who made the nation proud (5)Top 10 Indian Astronauts who made the nation proud (Image: NASA)

Anil Menon, an Air Force lieutenant colonel and NASA astronaut of Indian origin, was chosen for the agency's 2021 astronaut class. He has assisted previous missions, such as Spacex launches, as an emergency physician and flight surgeon.

7. Prasanth Nair

Prasanth Nair is a space scientist and astronaut trainee of Indian descent who has experience with leading space agencies. He is one of the rising Indian names in space technology and is well-known for his contributions to aerospace engineering.

8. Ajit Krishnan

India's Ajit Krishnan has participated in top astronaut training programs. Even though he hasn't flown yet, his robotics and simulation work is essential to getting ready for upcoming space missions.

national astronaut day 2025 top 10 indian astronauts who made the nation proud (7)Top 10 Indian Astronauts who made the nation proud (Image: Instagram)

9. Angad Pratap

Aspiring astronaut and Indian-born aerospace engineer Angad Pratap works on NASA-supported initiatives and studies. His story encourages young Indians to aim high.

10. Shubanshu Shukla

An Indian-born scientist, Shubanshu Shukla, is working on space technologies and AI-driven space systems. While not a space traveller yet, his innovations are helping shape safer space exploration.

 

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