NASA
NASA picks Athira Preetha Rani for Astronaut Programme; set to be next Indian woman to fly to space after Kalpana Chawla
Indian-origin Athira Preetha Rani has been chosen for NASA's 2022 astronaut training programme. The 24-year-old woman is a Thiruvananthapuram native. If she successfully completes the training that goes for around 3 to 5 years, then Athira would be the next Indian woman to fly to space after Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams. The training programme is jointly run by the NASA, Canadian Space Agency and National Research Council of Canada. Twelve trainees from across the world are selected for this astronaut training programme. Athira went through various stages including medical tests by NASA.