Indian-American US Air Force Colonel and astronaut Raja Chari is among the 18 astronauts who have been selected by NASA for its ambitious manned mission to the Moon and beyond. Chari along with other astronauts, will form the Artemis Team and help pave the way for the next lunar missions, including sending the first woman and next man to walk on the lunar surface in 2024.
Chari, 43, a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and US Naval Test Pilot School, is the only Indian-American in the list. He was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His father, Sreenivas V Chari, came to the US from Hyderabad at a young age to earn an engineering degree and carve a successful career for himself. Chari joined the astronaut corps in 2017. A colonel in the US Air Force, he was raised in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He received a bachelor’s degree in astronautical engineering and a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics.
The Artemis Team members also include Joseph Acaba, Kayla Barron, Matthew Dominick, Victor Glover, Warren Hoburg, Jonny Kim, Christina Hammock Koch, Kjell Lindgren, Nicole A. Mann, Anne McClain, Jessica Meir, Jasmin Moghbeli, Kate Rubins, Frank Rubio, Scott Tingle, Jessica Watkins and Stephanie Wilson.
👨✈️ Pilot with 2,000 hours of flight time
🇺🇸 @USAirForce officer
👨🚀 NASA AstronautMeet @Astro_Raja, an initial member of our @NASAArtemis team who will help pave the way for the next human missions on and around the Moon. pic.twitter.com/bc6ctjUL5H
— NASA Aeronautics (@NASAaero) December 10, 2020