Space to grow

From designing satellites to starting space companies, young Indians have joined the space revolution

- ABHINAV SINGH

Since class seven, Sadiq Ali Mir, 21, from Jammu and Kashmir, has been nurturing a dream—to be an aerospace engineer. This year, that dream grew wings. Mir, a fresh aerospace engineering graduate from RV College of Engineering (RVCE) in Bengaluru, was chosen as an astronaut candidate for engineering and development with Titans Space Industries Inc, a private aerospace company in the United States. If all goes well, Mir will be a part of the company's first space mission in 2029.

The selection process at Titans Space was tough—Mir faced detailed tests and interviews with senior leaders, including CEO Neal Lachman and chief astronaut William McArthur Jr, also a former NASA astronaut. His strong academic performance and leadership in student aerospace projects helped him secure a place. The 2029 mission will include orbital operations, space-based research and long-term living in space. Alongside preparing for the mission, Mir has also been accepted into a master's programme in space systems at Kepler Space University in Florida.

There are many young minds like Mir in India. Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station, recently remarked that one of the most rewarding aspects of the Axiom-4 mission was inspiring young Indians to dream of space. Shukla recalled his live interactions from the orbit with school students, and said that they often asked how they could become astronauts. “The good news is that ISRO [Indian Space Research Organisation] and India are ready to make these dreams a reality,” he said.