Indian expatriate Gopi Thotakura achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Indian space tourist and the second Indian to venture into space as part of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin’s NS-25 mission.
The Blue Origin successfully completed its seventh human spaceflight and the 25th flight for the New Shepard program on Sunday.
“Andhra-born Gopi Thotakura was a part of the crew among five other crew members,” said the official website of Blue Origin.
Thotakura joined an astronaut crew that included Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Kenneth L Hess, Carol Schaller, and former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight, the nation’s first black astronaut candidate selected by President John F Kennedy in 1961.
“Each of you are pioneers helping to advance our mission to build a road to space for the benefit of Earth,” said Phil Joyce, Senior Vice President, New Shepard, expressing gratitude to the astronaut customers for their participation in the life-changing experience.
Last month, Thotakura shared his dream and passion for flying and highlighted the mission’s aim to protect Mother Earth. “The whole excitement is about to look back and see what’s going on, without being documented or without someone else’s eye,” he expressed.
Elucidating his feelings, he mentioned, “I can’t express my feelings right now because it is something that is not in the urban dictionary. It is something I take with me. I always tell people that right from when you are born till the time you leave, you wake up and want to see the sky, want to take a breath, but I want to have this opportunity to do the reverse, to go up there and see down here. Movies do a fantastic job but (to see) what the naked eye can see, you have to do that yourself. The whole excitement is about to look back and see what’s going on, without being documented or without someone else’s eye.”
Thotakura reiterated Blue Origin’s tagline, For the benefit of Earth, highlighting the importance of protecting Mother Earth. He added, “It is for them to protect Mother Earth that they are seeking life and adventure outside the planet.”
Furthermore, each astronaut carried a postcard to space on behalf of Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, aiming to inspire and mobilize future generations to pursue careers in STEAM for the benefit of Earth.
Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, a former Indian Air Force pilot, was the first Indian citizen to fly to space in 1984.
