Raja Chari
Test Pilot, Astronaut

American Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.

Quick Info

Profession	Test Pilot, Astronaut
Nationality	American
Date of Birth	24/06/1977
Age	48 years
Birthplace	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.

Do you like Raja Chari?

You can vote only once.

Bio/Wiki

Full Name	Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari
Nickname	Grinder

Physical Stats & More

Height	178 cm
Weight	75 kg
Eye Color	Black
Hair Color	Black

Educational Qualification(s)

Bachelor's Degree	Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering and Engineering Science from United States Air Force Academy
Master's Degree	Master of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Additional Training	U.S. Naval Test Pilot School

Personal Life

School	Columbus High School, Waterloo, Iowa, U.S. (1995)
College/University	United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado (1999) Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts (2001)

Relationships & More

Marital Status

Family

Wife

Holly Schaffter Chari

Children

He has three children.

Parents

Father	Sreenivas V Chari (Engineer, born 1942 in Hyderabad, India)
Mother	Peggy Egbert (American nurse and teacher)

Siblings

Brother - Krishna Chari (Younger)

Career

Medals	Defense Meritorious Service Medal Aerial Achievement Medal Air Force Commendation Medal Air Force Achievement Medal Iraq Campaign Medal Korean Defense Service Medal Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
Timeline	Joined Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, Pacific Air Forces in November 2003 Attended F-15E Strike Eagle training at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina Joined 494FS, RAF Lakenheath, England, UK as F-15E IP in 2006 Completed training at the US Naval Test Pilot School in 2007 Worked as F-15 Experimental Test Pilot at Eglin AFB in December 2008 Became USAF SAF/RCO Program Manager in 2012 Appointed as 461st Flight Test Squadron Commander/F-35 Integrated Test Force Director in June 2015 Joined NASA as an astronaut in June 2017 Worked as Joint Test Team Director at Commercial Crew Program in 2019 Designated as SpaceX Crew3 Mission Commander in 2020 and became part of Artemis Team for the lunar mission in 2024 Served as commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station, launched on 10/11/2021 Spent 177 days in orbit as flight engineer for Expedition 66 and 67, performing two spacewalks and handling spacecraft operations, returned to Earth on 06/05/2022 Following spaceflight, became Assistant to the Chief for Exploration at NASA’s Johnson Space Center Promoted to Brigadier General in the United States Air Force Serves as Active Astronaut, Assistant to the Chief for Artemis Human Landing System and Senior Department of Defense Astronaut at NASA Johnson Space Center Selected as NASA astronaut candidate in June 2017 Reported for duty as Astronaut Candidate in August 2017 Completed two years of Astronaut Candidate training Selected as part of Artemis team in December 2020 Designated as SpaceX Crew-3 Mission Commander in 2020 Spent 177 days in orbit as flight engineer for Expedition 66 and 67, performing two spacewalks, capturing and releasing three SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and two Cygnus cargo vehicles, returned to Earth on 06/05/2022
Military Rank	Brigadier General, United States Air Force
Flight Hours	Over 7,000 hours in various spacecraft and aircraft
Combat Experience	F-15E combat missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom and deployments in support of the Korean peninsula

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Ancestors trace origins to Telangana, India.
2. Raised in Cedar Falls, Black Hawk County, Iowa, U.S.
3. Long-standing interest in aircraft since youth.
4. Enrolled in the Air Force Academy with aspirations to be a test pilot and then an astronaut.
5. Father practices Hinduism while mother is Catholic.
6. Supportive wife named Holly contributed to his successful career.
7. Extensive background in both the Air Force and NASA.
8. First NASA rookie to command a spaceflight since Joe Engle in 1981.
9. Logged over 7,000 flying hours in various spacecraft and aircraft.
10. Accumulated more than 2,500 hours of flight time in the F-35, F-15, F-16, and F-18 aircraft.
11. Participated in over 350 scientific studies during his time aboard the International Space Station.

Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error