Meet Gopi Thotakura, the Indian who will soon be on his way to the edge of space.


Gopichand Thotakura, a trained pilot, currently runs the Preserve Life Corporation.

New Delhi:

Taking an unprecedented leap to the stars, pilot Gopichand Thotakura is all set to become the first Indian to go into space as a tourist. Chosen as part of the elite crew for Blue Origin’s New Shepherd-25 (NS-25) mission, Mr Thotakura will travel beyond Earth’s atmosphere with five other candidates.

Gopichand Thothakura, an entrepreneur and pilot, joins a distinguished line-up of 31 candidates who have flown beyond the Kerman Line, the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space.

An aficionado of the skies since his youth, Mr. Thotakura’s passion for flying saw him defy conventional rules, learning to pilot an airplane before mastering the art of driving. To pursue his passion, he graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Science.

Explaining it, Blue Origins wrote, “Gopi is a pilot and aviator who learned to fly before he could drive. Gopi pilots bushes, aerobatics, and seaplanes as well as gliders and hot air balloons. drives, and served as an international medical jet. pilot. A lifelong traveler, his latest adventure took him to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.”

Born in Vijayawada, the 30-year-old currently runs Preserve Life Corporation, a global center for holistic health and applied health based near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Each member of the NS-25 mission will carry a postcard from the Blue Origin Foundation, Club for the Future, a symbol of the collective dreams and aspirations of young minds around the world.

From an environmental perspective, the NS-25 mission ushers in a new era of sustainability in space exploration.

“About 99 percent of New Shepard’s dry mass is recycled, including the booster, capsule, engines, landing gear, and parachute. New Shepard’s engines are fueled by highly efficient liquid oxygen and hydrogen. During flight , the only byproduct is water vapor with no substance. Carbon emissions,” Blue Origins said in its statement.

The launch date of the mission is yet to be announced.

The mission also included former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight, who was selected by US President John F. Kennedy in 1961 as a candidate to be the nation’s first black astronaut but was never given the opportunity to go into space.

Blue Origin has flown six crewed flights — some passengers were paying customers and others were guests — since July 2021, when CEO Jeff Bezos himself took part in the first.

The company is also developing a heavy rocket for commercial purposes called the New Glenn, whose first flight is scheduled for next year.

The rocket, which measures 98 meters (320 ft), is designed to carry payloads of up to 45 metric tons into low Earth orbit.





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