Meet Vijayawada-born pilot Gopichand Thotakura who becomes only second Indian to travel to space

Vijayawada: Vijayawada-born pilot Gopichand Thotakura made history by becoming the second Indian citizen to travel to space.

Gopichand will travel to space as part of the crew for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin’s New Shephard-25 (NS-25) mission.

Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, a former Indian Air Force pilot, who was the first Indian to travel into space in 1984.

A six-member crew:

According to Blue Origins Blue, a six-person crew will be flying on its NS-25 mission.

The crew includes Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Kenneth L. Hess, Carol Schaller, Gopi Thotakura, and former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight, who was selected by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 as the nation’s first Black astronaut candidate but was never granted the opportunity to fly to space.

This mission will be the seventh human flight for the New Shepard program and the 25th in its history.

Who is Gopichand?

Gopi is a pilot and aviator who learned how to fly before he could drive. He is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

He’s co-founder of 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, Gopi pilots bush, aerobatic, seaplanes, gliders, and hot air balloons, and has served as an international medical jet pilot. A lifelong traveler, his most recent adventure took him to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

What is the New Shepard mission?

Each astronaut will carry a postcard to space on behalf of Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future.

This program gives students access to space on Blue Origin’s rockets, including an all-digital method to create and send postcards, which can be found here. The Club’s mission is to inspire and mobilize future generations to pursue careers in STEAM for the benefit of Earth.

From an environmental standpoint, nearly 99% of New Shepard’s dry mass is reused, including the booster, capsule, engine, landing gear, and parachutes. New Shepard’s engine is fueled by highly efficient liquid oxygen and hydrogen. During flight, the only byproduct is water vapor with no carbon emissions.