Excitement Builds as Indian Expat Could Become First Citizen to Go to Space as Tourist
The recent announcement by Blue Origin of their passenger list for the upcoming NS-25 mission has space enthusiasts buzzing, as it reveals an Indian name among the astronaut crew – Gopi Thotakura. A pilot and aviator by profession, Thotakura has been involved in aviation from a young age. While India has had an astronaut go to space decades ago for a mission, Thotakura is lined up to achieve the unique distinction of being the first Indian space tourist.
Born in Vijayawada, Thotakura pursued his undergraduate education in Aeronautical Sciences in Florida. Along with flying jets commercially, he has experience operating various aircraft like aerobatic planes as well as piloting gliders and hot air balloons. His journey has also seen him summit Africa's highest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro. Now, the space-faring entrepreneur is preparing to fulfill a lifelong dream by venturing into the final frontier aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket.
New Shepard has completed multiple successful crewed launches to date. The upcoming NS-25 mission will carry six astronauts on this fully autonomous vehicle. In addition to Thotakura and aerospace pioneer Ed Dwight, the other crew members bring diverse experience. All will get to witness the magnificence of Earth from the blacksky of space and experience a few minutes of weightlessness.
While Indian citizens have trained for potential space missions, Thotakura is positioned to create history by embarking on this suborbital joyride as the first Indian space tourist. Subject to mission success, his pioneering flight will ignite curiosity and boost the nation's space prestige. As excitement mounts ahead of the launch, all of India will be cheering on this son of the soil as he audaciously rockets beyond the planet!
