US President Joe Biden on Thursday nominated Indian-American astronaut Raja Chari for promotion to US Air Force brigadier general. The astronaut nominated for promotion was in the Moon mission team as per the Defense Department. This nomination still remains to be confirmed by the senate that all senior civilian and military appointments.
Reportedly, the US Air Force uses same ranks as Army and in this, brigadiers are considered to be one-star general. Raja Chari at present is a member of the Artemis team of astronauts preparing for the US mission of returning to the moon.
Who is Raja Chari?
As per the information, Raja Chari is an American Test Pilot and a NASA astronaut. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. At present, he is at Colonel rank in the US Air Force. Talking about his career in NASA, Raja Chari in June 2017 was selected for the NASA Astronaut Group and began his two years of training as an astronaut from there. Reportedly, in 2021 he commanded a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) crew to the International Space Station where he served for 177 days and conducted a spacewalk. On March 23, 2022, Raja Chari and ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer exited the Quest Joint Airlock on the ISS to perform an EVA.
During his Air Force career, Raja Chari has been honored with various prestigious awards. He was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Aerial Achievement Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, and the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal.