President Biden nominated Indian American astronaut Raja Chari to the grade of U.S. Air Force brigadier general, CNBC reported.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Chari was appointed to the one-star general rank, having previously serving as a NASA SpaceX Crew-3 commander and astronaut.
Chari, 45, earned a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, according to NASA.
The Iowa native originally served as a colonel select in the U.S. Air Force prior to being selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 2017.
Chari was inspired by his father, Srinivas Chari, who went to the U.S. at a young age to receive higher education in engineering and pursue a successful career, The Hindu reported.
His appointment to the position will have to be approved by the Senate before it is confirmed.Â
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