Gopi Thotakura, an entrepreneur and commercial pilot, became the first India-born civilian to participate in space tourism.
The space company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin previously announced the six-person crew for its NS-25 mission. Apart from Gopichand Thotakura, other crew members are Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Kenneth L Hess, Carol Schaller, and former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight. In the mission, the spacecraft are taken beyond the Karman Line. It is the boundary of Earth’s atmosphere, located around 80 to 100 km from the earth surface.
In this article, we will uncover some unknown and interesting facts about Gopi Thotakura.
Born in Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh, Gopi Thotakura completed his graduation in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He completed his MBA from Emirates Aviation University in Aviation/Airway Management and Operations.
“Flying is my passion and going to space is the ultimate dream,” Gopi said.
Gopichand is the co-founder of Preserve Life Corp, a global centre for “holistic wellness and applied health” as mentioned in the company website. The company is located near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Gopichand, an avid traveller fulfilled his most recent adventure by participating in the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Describing Thotakura, 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 traveler, his most recent adventure took him to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.”
The crew of six people in a capsule atop a New Shepard rocket was launched from Van Horn, Texas launch facilities. Then, the rocket was separated from the capsule, and the crew further ascended beyond the boundary of Earth's atmosphere to 105.7 km.
The crew members are allowed to unfasten their safety belts and float around the gumdrop-shaped pod for couple of minutes as there is no gravitational force. After some time, the capsule descends back to the earth's surface through parachutes.
Talking about his trip to space, Gopi said: “privileged to carry our blood up there”.
“I can't express my feelings right now because it is something that is not in the urban dictionary. It is something I take with me. I always tell people that right from when you are born till the time you leave, you wake up and want to see the sky, want to take a breath, but I want to have this opportunity to do the reverse, to go up there and see down here. Movies do a fantastic job but (to see) what the naked eye can see, you have to do that yourself. The whole excitement is about looking back and seeing what's going on, without being documented or without someone else's eye,” Thotakura said in an interview after being selected.
Gopichand talked about space tourism and how it can create new avenues, “...Blue Origin's tagline is 'for the benefit of earth' and that is what is important to notice here to protect mother earth, they're seeking life and adventure outside the planet...all the efforts that are put in, is to explore the space beyond. That's how we can protect mother earth and this is my interpretation of Blue's mission.”
"I believe that space tourism is where the future is," Gopi Thotakura recently mentioned.
According to the company “The Club’s mission is to inspire and mobilise future generations to pursue careers in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) for the benefit of Earth.”
Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian to travel into space in 1984. Do you also aspire to travel space? Prepare yourself for the upcoming trips!
