"Each of you are pioneers helping to advance our mission"
Gopi Thotakura made history by becoming the first Indian space tourist and the second Indian to venture into space.
He was part of the crew for Blue Origin’s New Shepard-25 (NS-25) mission.
Blue Origin is an aerospace company founded by Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos.
It successfully completed its seventh human spaceflight and the 25th flight for the New Shepard programme on May 19, 2024.
The spacecraft took off from the company’s West Texas launch site.
Born in Andhra Pradesh, Gopi was among five other crew members.
The astronaut crew included Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Kenneth L Hess, Carol Schaller and former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight.
Ed Dwight was selected by President John F Kennedy in 1961 as the United States’ first black astronaut candidate but never had the opportunity to fly.
At 90, Ed was the oldest man to go to space.
New Shepard has now taken 37 people into space.
Phil Joyce, Senior Vice President, New Shepard, said:
“A big thank you to our astronaut customers for the opportunity to provide this life-changing experience.
“Each of you are pioneers helping to advance our mission to build a road to space for the benefit of Earth.”
Gopi Thotakura previously spoke about his passion for flying and how the mission is working towards protecting Earth.
He also explained how space tourism can open avenues and become more affordable and accessible for civilians.
Gopi said: “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 to look back and see what’s going on, without being documented or without someone else’s eye.”
Gopi went on to speak about Blue Origin’s tagline ‘For the benefit of Earth’.
He added: “It is for them to protect Mother Earth that they are seeking life and adventure outside the planet.”
For the space expedition, every astronaut carried a postcard on behalf of Blue Origin’s foundation – Clube For The Future.
Gopi Thotakura is the second Indian to go to space after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984.
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