Nasa names 18 astronauts to be trained for its Artemis moon landing program

Nasa is sending 18 astronauts to the moon's surface for the first time since 1970s. The 18 astronauts, comprising of nine men and nine women, have been chosen for the mission under Nasa's Artemis program.

Vice President Mike Pence introduced the astronauts Wednesday at the close of his final meeting as chairman of the National Space Council. The announcement was made at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, beneath one of only three remaining Saturn V moon rockets from the 1960s and 1970s Apollo program.

According to reports, Chari's father Sreenivas V Chari had immigrated to the US from Hyderabad. The Indian-American astronaut was raised in Iowa, a Midwestern US state, and served as a colonel in the US Air Force. Chari has a bachelor's degree in astronautical engineering and a master's in aeronautics and astronautics.