Jahnavi Dangeti, 23, of India, has been chosen to be one of the astronauts on a private space flight. Titans Space is designing the mission, which is expected to launch in 2029. Last week, Dangeti shared the news on social media, thanking the platform for the chance and sharing what’s ahead before her flight.
After being chosen as an Astronaut Candidate (ASCAN) for Titans Space in the first class of 2025, she joined the mission. In addition, she is the first Indian to finish the International Air and Space Program at NASA.
Titans Space reports that the five-hour mission on its Titans spaceplane, piloted by retired U.S. Army Colonel and former NASA astronaut William S. “Bill” McArthur Jr., will allow the astronauts to conduct three orbits around Earth in three hours of continuous zero gravity, providing opportunities for scientific research.
“Through Titans Space’s ASCAN program, I will receive rigorous astronaut training over the course of the following three years, beginning in 2026. Dangeti wrote on Instagram, “This includes spacecraft systems, flight simulation (zero-g flights), spacecraft procedures, survival training, medical inspections, and psychological evaluations.” “The program is designed to fully prepare us—physically, mentally, and technically—for the demands of human spaceflight and scientific research in microgravity.”
A second voyage to Titans Space’s Titans OrbitalPort Space Station (TOPSS) is planned for the fourth quarter of 2024 at the latest. McArthur Jr. will also command it.
About Jahnavi Dangeti
Dangeti, a graduate of Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab with a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering, is from Palakollu in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. She actively supports STEM education and has allegedly spoken to students at National Institutes of Technology (NITs) all throughout India as well as for ISRO’s educational programs. According to India Today, she is also the first Indian selected for Space Iceland’s geology training and the youngest foreign analogue astronaut.