A 30-year-old aviator from Vijayawada became the first Indian space tourist on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin's seventh human flight. Gopi Thotakura, an entrepreneur and a pilot, on Sunday ventured into space as one of the six crew members on Blue Origin's NS-25 mission. He is the second Indian to venture into space after the Indian Army's Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984.
The flight lifted off from Launch Site One in West Texas on Sunday morning, the company announced on social media. This mission was part of the 'New Shepard programme' of Blue Origin and the 25th in its history. To date, the programme has flown 31 humans above the Karman line, the proposed conventional boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space.
New Shepard is a fully reusable sub-orbital launch vehicle developed for space tourism by Blue Origin. Who is Gopi? Blue Origin describes Gopi as "A pilot and aviator who learned how to fly before he could drive." He co-founded Preserve Life Corp, a global centre for holistic wellness and applied health located near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
In addition to flying jets commercially, he pilots bush, aerobatic, and seaplanes, as well as gliders and hot air balloons, and has served as an international medical jet pilot. A lifelong traveller, his most recent adventure took him to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He is also a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Other crew members of the flight include Mas.
