'Moon Is Waiting For Me': 23YO Jahnavi Dangeti Selected For NASA Space Mission

Jahnavi Dangeti, a native of Palakollu in Andhra Pradesh, is all set to travel to space as part of the Astronaut Candidate (ASCAN) program for the Titans Space Astronaut class of 2025. She has been selected to participate in an orbital flight in 2029, which will last five hours. The 23-year-old previously made history as the youngest person to complete the Analog Astronaut Programme at the Analog Astronaut Training Centre (AATC) in Kraków, Southern Poland, in 2022.

Jahnavi Dangeti holds the distinction of being the first Indian selected for NASA’s International Air and Space Program.

Over the years, she has been known for her active engagement in the fields of STEM and space research. She has trained in zero gravity, high-altitude missions, space suit operations, and planetary simulations. 

Last year, in a conversation with SheThePeople, Jahnavi Dangeti shared her story. She emphasised her key message for young people: "Don't let societal expectations hold you back. Be answerable only to yourself, and find a purpose in your life." Jahnavi believes in smart work over hard work. She advises investing time wisely and staying calm to achieve great heights.

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Jahnavi Dangeti Speaks to SheThePeople

"I was 11 when I learned about NASA. In my hometown of Palkollu, Andhra Pradesh, the highest aspiration for most people was engineering. But young Jahnavi dared to dream about the moon.

"In 2019, I participated in ISRO World Space Week. I was just 16, and my project was selected among 2,000 others—that’s where my journey with space began! I started researching how to become an astronaut and discovered that astronauts train in scuba diving to get used to zero gravity. So I’d travel 25 kilometres away from my home to a pool, flapping my limbs in the water.

"That’s when a trainer reached out to me, saying, 'I can teach you.' I thought he was joking, but he was serious. Between scary jumps in the ocean and finding peace amidst the waves, I became the youngest advanced scuba diver in India.

"During that time, I found out that I’d been selected for a 10-day programme at NASA—I was the first Indian to receive the opportunity! I still remember standing in front of NASA with tears rolling down my cheeks. I spent my time there marvelling at the Skylabs and Apollo capsules. And that one door with 'NASA' written on it opened many other doors for me.

"In 2022, I was called to Poland for a lunar mission, where I was placed in an environment similar to the moon. Once I got there, I couldn’t believe it—I was on the moon, a man-made moon, but a moon nonetheless. The 5-year-old Jahnavi within me was beaming with joy. For the next 12 days, tests on human survival on the moon were conducted on us. Our mission was successful, and I became an analogue astronaut.

"After being rejected once, I finally got into the International Institute for Astronautical Science in Florida in 2023. I’m 21, and everyone here says, "You’ve done so much." But when I met an astronaut who flew with Kalpana Chawla, he told me, "Jahnavi, I see the little Kalpana in you." That’s when I knew I had a long way to go. And moreover, the moon is waiting for me!"

2029 Space mission

During the mission, the crew will orbit Earth twice and witness two sunrises and two sunsets. The mission will be headed by veteran NASA astronaut and retired US Army Colonel William McArthur Jr., who now serves as Chief Astronaut for Titans Space.

Over the next three years, beginning in 2026, Jahnavi will undergo intensive astronaut training through Titans Space’s ASCAN program. This will include spacecraft systems, flight simulations (including zero-gravity flights), spacecraft procedures, survival training, medical evaluations, and psychological assessments. The program is designed to prepare the astronauts, physically, mentally, and technically, for the demands of human spaceflight and scientific research in microgravity.