नवीनतम
Jahnavi Dangeti to take off for Space in 2029
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: At 23 years of age, Jahnavi Dangeti is breaking records—and about to leave the planet. From the humble town of Palakollu in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, Jahnavi has been chosen to take off into space in 2029 as one of India’s youngest space-faring hopefuls and a beacon of new-era aspiration.
Raised in a small house, with her parents working overseas in Kuwait, Jahnavi became enamored with the stars at a young age. As most kids fantasized about school breaks, Jahnavi fantasized about rocket launches and space suits.
Her education started in a local Palakollu school and eventually led her to Lovely Professional University in Punjab, where she earned her degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering. But it was never about the classroom. Jahnavi sought something extraordinary—and found it.
Training for Orbit
Jahnavi has now been chosen as a candidate astronaut for the ASCAN program by Titans Space, a US-based private aerospace company. She will be trained under the tutelage of retired NASA astronaut William McArthur Jr. in space-hardened training that will commence in 2026 and prepare her to participate in a five-hour orbital space flight in 2029 on the Titan’s Orbital Port Space Station.
The three-year training is to comprise spacecraft operations, survival training, physical fitness tests, and psychological tests—experiences few 23-year-olds can hardly imagine.
A Trail of Firsts
Jahnavi is no stranger to creating history. She was the first Indian to graduate from NASA’s International Air and Space Program at the Kennedy Space Center. She also became the youngest foreign analog astronaut through her involvement with global simulation missions with Space Iceland and Poland’s Analog Astronaut Training Center.
She has collaborated with global teams to find asteroids based on Pan-STARRS data, was a People’s Choice award winner at the NASA Space Apps Challenge, and was awarded the World Space Week Young Achiever by ISRO.
Aside from awards, she has employed her platform to motivate others, providing talks at Indian Institutes of Technology and National Institutes of Technology and conducting ISRO outreach classes with the goal of encouraging rural and underprivileged children to study space science.
Voice of a New India
All the while, she has never lost sight of her origins. “I want to encourage students from small towns and villages, particularly girls, to dream beyond the sky,” she recently told an interviewer. Her path isn’t only individual—it’s also a larger one of India’s increasing role in space exploration and the increasing potential of its young people.
Looking ahead to 2029
As the clock starts ticking, Jahnavi Dangeti remains steadfast. She has four years of training to look forward to, but her goal is simple: to stand for not only India, but for all small-town dreamers who think the stars are within grasp.
In 2029, when she finally climbs into the spacecraft, it will not be merely a young woman going to orbit. It will be a message to the world—from Palakollu to the universe—that India’s next generation is go for lift-off.
