VIJAYAWADA, September 26, 2026 (Journalist File): Dreams of becoming a pilot led 18-year-old Jaswanth Sri Shista from Andhra Pradesh toward a larger ambition: exploring space and conducting research beyond Earth.
Shista, from Kothuru village in Yelamanchili mandal of West Godavari district, has been selected for the International Air and Space Program scheduled to be conducted under the NASA Launch Operations-linked programme at the Kennedy Space Center in the United States in November 2027. He says he is the only Indian among 14 participants selected globally for the programme.
His interest in aviation began in childhood, when he would watch aircraft flying overhead. By Class 8, he had started researching aviation as a possible career. Reading research papers gradually introduced him to cosmology, astrophysics and space science, turning his interest in flying into an ambition to work in space research.
Shista completed his Class 10 education in Narasapur and his intermediate studies in Hyderabad. He is currently a second-year B.Tech student in Aerospace Engineering at Sandeep University in Nashik. During his first year, he applied for the international programme and went through three online interviews before being selected.
He has already completed a two-week Analog Colony Programme in Poland, conducted through Sept. 13 this year. At 18, he was the youngest participant in the programme and earned an “analog astronaut” tag. The experience also led to an invitation for further training to be conducted in the Himalayas by Poland-based AATC.
For Shista, the training is an opportunity to move closer to his long-term goal of working on space-engine technology and conducting experiments related to space exploration. His interests extend to quantum mechanics, satellites and antenna systems. He also completed an internship at an aerospace company in Surat, where he worked on satellite and antenna mechanisms.
His academic record includes three consecutive gold medals in Olympiad competitions during his school years. He believes the growing participation of private companies in the aerospace sector is creating new opportunities for young people with the necessary skills and persistence.
“Opportunities are becoming available to talented young people as private companies compete in the aerospace sector. The important thing is to recognise those opportunities and work consistently to make use of them,” Shista said.
His journey from watching aircraft over his village to preparing for international space training reflects a broader shift in the ambitions of young Indian students, many of whom are increasingly looking beyond conventional aviation careers toward aerospace research and space technology.
