Vijayawada-born Gopichand Thotakura set to become 2nd Indian to head to space: Five things about him

The NS-25 will be Blue Origin's first manned mission in over 18 months

Another Indian is set to make a tryst with history as pilot Gopichand Thotakura will become the second citizen to head to space after wing commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984. Thotakura will be the first Indian to go to space as a tourist as he is selected to be part of the six-member elite crew for Blue Origin's New Shephard-25 (NS-25) mission. Thotakura, an entrepreneur and pilot, joins an exclusive list of 31 people who have flown beyond the Karman line, which is the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space.

Here are five things about Gopichand Thotakura:

1) Gopichand Thotakura has always had an interest in the skies, a passion that was kindled at the age of 8 when he visited a KLM plane cockpit.

2) He has a Bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Science from the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a private university in the US state of Florida.

3) The 30-year-old was born in Vijayawada and runs Preserve Life Corp, a global centre for holistic wellness and applied health located near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the United States of America. He still holds an Indian passport.

4) His family — who are also into the wellness business — came to know of his space flight plans only after Blue Origin made the official announcement with the names of the passengers. Thotakura said his family are nervous but excited, according to media reports.

5) Thotakura is a trained pilot and ran a medical air evacuation service in India around a decade ago. Incidentally, it is reported that the 30-year-old got his pilot's licence before his driver's licence.

About the Mission

Blue Origin's NS-25 mission is expected to take off sometime in April and is the company's first with a crew in around 18 months.

This is also the company's second overall launch since a nozzle failure caused the flight termination system to trigger during the launch in September 2022. The NS-25 will take off from Blue Origin's West Texas launch site.

#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

In addition to Thotakura, this crewed flight will feature five participants taking their first trips to space. They include:

-Former US Air Force Captain Ed Dwight: Dwight was originally selected by the US Air Force to join NASA as an astronaut in 1963 but did not end up being selected and retired from the USAF in 1966.

-Mason Angel: Founder of Industrious Ventures, a venture capital fund.

-Sylvain Chiron: Founder of Brasserie Mont Blanc, a large craft brewery in France.

-Kenneth L. Hess: Software engineer and entrepreneur.

-Carol Schaller: Retired CPA

According to media reports, if the NS-25 mission is successful, it could give Blue Origin the confidence to resume a higher cadence of their sub-orbital New Shepard tourist flights as the year progresses while they also prepare for the maiden flight of New Glenn, possibly later this year or early 2025.