New York: Atlanta-based entrepreneur and pilot Gopichand Thotakura is one of six crew members selected for Blue Origin’s New Shepard- 25 (NS- 25) mission. He will be the first Indian space tourist and the second from the country to venture into space after the Indian Army’s Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984. Headquartered in Kent, Washington, Blue Origin, founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, is an aerospace manufacturer, defense contractor, launch service provider and space technologies company.
Described by Blue Origin as “a pilot and aviator who learned how to fly before he could drive,” Thotakura is originally from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. He co-founded Preserve Life Corp, a global center 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,” his Blue Origin profile said. A lifelong traveler, his most recent adventure took him to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. His journey began at Sarala Birla Academy in Bengaluru, followed by a Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Sciences from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida.
In an interview with news agency Asian News International (ANI), Thotakura said he “was always very keen to become an astronaut.. after “flying in India and abroad,” he “started looking for opportunities where the original dream can come alive.” That is when he got the opportunity with Blue…NH24.”
