Who is Gopi Thotakura, first Indian ‘space tourist’ to fly with Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin?

Blue Origin has chosen an Indian pilot for its next voyage aboard New Shepard. Gopichand Thotakura, an entrepreneur and pilot from Andhra Pradesh has been chosen among a few of those people who will join the elite crew of Blue Origin’s New Shepard- 25 (NS- 25) mission.

As part of the elite mission, Thotakura will make a journey beyond the Earth’s atmosphere along with five other crew members. In the past, Thotakura has flown beyond the Karman line (the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space), a feat that has been achieved by only 31 distinguished fellows.

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Who is Gopichand Thotakura? Indian pilot selected as Blue Origin’s New Shepard crew member

Gopichand Thotakura, 30, hails from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and was born in Vijayawada. He currently runs Preserve Life Corp, a global centre for holistic wellness and applied health. The company is located near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

He always had a passion for flying and a zeal to master the art of manoeuvring. To pursue his passion, Thotakura graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Science.

#NewShepard #NS25 crew will include Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Ed Dwight, Ken Hess, Carol Schaller, and Gopi Thotakura. Read more 🚀: https://t.co/KbAJkbRTvj pic.twitter.com/8QBFYPJkYj — Blue Origin (@blueorigin) April 4, 2024

Describing him, Blue Origins wrote, "Gopi is a pilot and aviator who learned how to fly before he could drive. Gopi 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."

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Each member of the NS-25 mission will carry a postcard on behalf of Blue Origin's foundation, Club for the Future, symbolising the collective dreams and aspirations of young minds worldwide.

Thotakura will also be joined by the former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight, who was selected by US President John F Kennedy in 1961 as the country's first Black astronaut candidate but was never granted the opportunity to fly to space.

Blue Origin’s New Shepard-25 (NS-25) mission

Blue Origin’s New Shepard is named after Alan Shepard, a Mercury astronaut from the US. New Shepard is a reusable rocket system crafted to transport astronauts and research payloads beyond the Karman line.

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"Whether you are an astronaut travelling alongside Blue Origin or dispatching a payload into space, your brief 11-minute journey aboard New Shepard promises to be an unforgettable adventure,” Blue Origin's official website says.

Blue Origin has various such initiatives including transporting astronauts aboard New Shepard to space, creating reusable liquid rocket engines, and constructing an orbital launch vehicle named New Glenn.

(With inputs from agencies)