<p>Indian-American astronaut Raja J Chari has been nominated by President Joe Biden for the appointment to the grade of Air Force brigadier general.</p>.<p>The nomination was announced on Thursday and will have to be confirmed by the Senate which approves all senior civilian and military appointments, according to the US Defence Department.</p>.<p>Air Force Colonel Chari, 45, was nominated for the appointment to the grade of brigadier general, it said in a statement.</p>.<p>Chari is currently serving as the Crew-3 commander and astronaut, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Johnson Space Center, Texas.</p>.<p>He earned a master's degree in aeronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated from the US Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland.</p>.<p>Chari served as the commander of the 461st Flight Test Squadron and the director of the F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base in California.</p>.<p>Inspired by his father Srinivas Chari, who went to the US at a young age from Hyderabad for an engineering degree, to get a higher education and make a successful career. He met his wife and spent his entire career at John Deere in Waterloo.</p>.<p>In 2020, Chari was selected as the Commander of the SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by NASA and the European Space Agency.</p>.<p>Chari joins this mission with extensive experience as a test pilot. He has accumulated more than 2,500 hours of flight time in his career.</p>.<p>Brigadier General (BG) is a one-star General Officer rank of the United States Air Force. It is just above Colonel and below Major General.</p>
<p>Indian-American astronaut Raja J Chari has been nominated by President Joe Biden for the appointment to the grade of Air Force brigadier general.</p>.<p>The nomination was announced on Thursday and will have to be confirmed by the Senate which approves all senior civilian and military appointments, according to the US Defence Department.</p>.<p>Air Force Colonel Chari, 45, was nominated for the appointment to the grade of brigadier general, it said in a statement.</p>.<p>Chari is currently serving as the Crew-3 commander and astronaut, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Johnson Space Center, Texas.</p>.<p>He earned a master's degree in aeronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated from the US Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland.</p>.<p>Chari served as the commander of the 461st Flight Test Squadron and the director of the F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base in California.</p>.<p>Inspired by his father Srinivas Chari, who went to the US at a young age from Hyderabad for an engineering degree, to get a higher education and make a successful career. He met his wife and spent his entire career at John Deere in Waterloo.</p>.<p>In 2020, Chari was selected as the Commander of the SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by NASA and the European Space Agency.</p>.<p>Chari joins this mission with extensive experience as a test pilot. He has accumulated more than 2,500 hours of flight time in his career.</p>.<p>Brigadier General (BG) is a one-star General Officer rank of the United States Air Force. It is just above Colonel and below Major General.</p>