Meet Gopichand Thotakura, who is set to become the first Indian space tourist

Vijayawada-born Gopichand Thotakura, currently residing in the United States, is set to become the first Indian space tourist. He has been named as one of the six persons who will be onboard the space exploration mission, New Shephard-25 (NS-25), which is expected to be launched by Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company Blue Origin in April this year.

Thotakura, a trained pilot and an entrepreneur, will be accompanied on the space mission by former US Air Force captain Ed Dwight, venture capitalist Mason Angel, Software engineer and entrepreneur Kenneth Hess, retired certified public accountant Carol Schaller, and founder of Brasserie Mont Blanc, France’s major craft brewery, Sylvain Chiron.

The NS-25 mission will be fully autonomous, which means that none of the members onboard would be manning it. The flight would return back to the Earth after briefly exploring the outer edge of the space.

Who is Gopichand Thotakura?

• Thotakura, aged 30, traces his roots back to India’s Andhra Pradesh. According to reports, he was born in Vijayawada, and went on to pursue his early education from the Sarala Birla Academy in Bengaluru.

• In the US, where he is currently based, he secured a Bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a private varsity located in the province of Florida.

• Thotakura currently is a full-time entrepreneur, co-heading Preserve Life Corp. The company, described as a global centre for holistic wellness and applied health, is located close to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the US province of Georgia.

• Blue Origin, in a release, said Thotakura is a “pilot and aviator who learned how to fly before he could drive”. 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, it added. His most recent adventure took him to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the company further noted.

• Although Thotakura is set to be the first Indian to head to space as a tourist, he is not the first spacefarer from the country. The distinction was bagged by wing commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984, when he was part of the Soviet Soyuz T-11 rocket that travelled to the outer edge of space.