Raja Chari
BIOGRAPHY
No biography available for this astronaut in our archives.
CAREER RECORD
| Rank | commander |
| Time in Space | 176:00:00:00 |
| EVA Time | 000:14:23:59 |
PERSONAL BACKGROUND
| Birthplace | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Education | Graduated from Columbus High School in Waterloo, Iowa. Earned a bachelorโs degree in Astronautical Engineering and Engineering Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. Earned a masterโs degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland. Graduated from U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Chari is a Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force. At the time of his selection in June 2017, he served as the Commander of the 461st Flight Test Squadron and the Director of the F-35 Integrated Test Force. He has accumulated more than 2,500 hours of flight time in the F-35, F-15, F-16, and F-18 including F-15E combat missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom and deployments in support of the Korean peninsula. Chari reported for duty in August 2017 and completed two years of training as an Astronaut Candidate. He then served as the Director of the Joint Test Team for NASAโs Commercial Crew Program. He served as commander of the NASA SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the space station, which launched on November 10, 2021.He served as a flight engineer aboard thespace station for 177 days in orbit. During his time on the space station, he performed two spacewalks and helped in capturing and releasing three SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and two Cygnus cargo vehicles. Following his spaceflight, Chari became Assistant to the Chief for Exploration at NASAโs Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. In this role, Chari is responsible for leading astronaut development and testing for the Human Landing System โ the lunar lander under NASAโs Artemis campaign. This includes integration the design and testing with NASAโs Orion spacecraft, lunar spacesuits, and the Gateway lunar outpost. Awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Aerial Achievement Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, an Iraq Campaign Medal, a Korean Defense Service Medal and the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal. Named distinguished graduate from the US Air Force Academy, Undergraduate Pilot Training, and the F-15E Formal Training Unit. Astronaut Raja Chari (PDF 308 Kb) |
| Awards | Awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Aerial Achievement Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, an Iraq Campaign Medal, a Korean Defense Service Medal and the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal. Named distinguished graduate from the US Air Force Academy, Undergraduate Pilot Training, and the F-15E Formal Training Unit. Astronaut Raja Chari (PDF 308 Kb) |
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