Indian pilot Gopi Thotakura goes on space journey in Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin flight

The mission, marking the seventh manned flight for the New Shepard program and the 25th in its history, was operated by Blue Origin Flight with a crew of six, including Indian-origin entrepreneur and pilot Gopichand Thotakura.

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Apart from Gopichand, the crew also included former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight, the United States’ first black astronaut candidate, Hindustan Times reported.

Earlier on September 12, 2022, the program suffered a setback after the New Shepard rocket caught fire soon after launch. However, the uncrewed capsule ejected in time and the safety of the potential astronauts was ensured.

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New Shepard (Mission NS-25) Crew:

1) Gopichand Thotakura: He was selected as one of the six crew members for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin New Shepard-25 (NS-25) mission.

2) Ed Dwight: The former Air Force pilot faced rejection from NASA’s astronaut corps in the 1960s. According to the report of news agency AFP, Dwight has become the oldest person to go to space. His age is 90 years, 8 months and 10 days.

3) Mason Angel: He is the founder of Industrious Ventures which is a venture capital firm.

4) Sylvain Chiron: She is the founder of Brasserie Mont Blanc, a leading craft brewing company in France.

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5) Kenneth L. Hayes: a software engineer and entrepreneur

6) Carol Schaller: She is a retired certified public accountant (CPA) who has completed the roster of crew members for the NS-25 mission.

With agency input.

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Published: May 19, 2024, 10:08 PM IST