Who was the first Indian astronaut to travel into space?

Correct option is A

The correct answer is (A) Rakesh Sharma

Explanation:
• Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian citizen to enter space on April 3, 1984.
• He flew aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 rocket as part of the Interkosmos program.
• He spent 7 days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes aboard the Salyut 7 Orbital Station.
• When asked by then-PM Indira Gandhi how India looked from space, he famously replied, "Saare Jahan Se Achha" (Better than the whole world).

Information Booster:
• Awards: He was conferred with the 'Hero of the Soviet Union' and the 'Ashok Chakra' (India’s highest peacetime gallantry award).
• Experiments: During the mission, he conducted multi-spectral photography of northern India for monitoring hydroelectric projects in the Himalayas.

Additional Knowledge:
• Raja Chari (Option B): An Indian-American astronaut who served as mission commander of the NASA SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the ISS in 2021.
• Sirisha Bandla (Option C): The second Indian-born woman to go to space (after Kalpana Chawla) as part of the Virgin Galactic Unity 22 mission in 2021.
• Ravish Malhotra (Option D): He was the backup cosmonaut for Rakesh Sharma during the 1984 Soyuz T-11 mission.