Dr. Shawna Pandya To Be On Virgin Galactic Space Flight

Photo: @shawnapandya

India-West News Desk
BOULDER, CO – The International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) has announced a pioneering scientific mission on Virgin Galactic’s new Delta vehicle, featuring a multi-researcher crew. The IIAS-02 Mission crew includes bioastronautics researchers Kellie Gerardi from the United States, Dr. Shawna Pandya from Canada, and Dr. Norah Patten from Ireland.

Indian Canadian Pandya, is a a physician, aquanaut, bioastronautics researcher, and Director of IIAS’s Space Medicine Group. This mission marks the second collaboration between IIAS and Virgin Galactic, following the ‘Galactic 05’ mission in November 2023. During ‘Galactic 05,’ the team tested innovative healthcare technologies and studied fluid behavior in low gravity to inform future medical technologies and life-support systems designs.

In 2015, Dr. Shawna Pandya was part of the first crew to test a commercial spacesuit in zero gravity. To date, she has participated in ten parabolic flight campaigns, gaining over 160 parabolas of experience in micro- and reduced gravity.

Her publications include a paper on medical guidelines for commercial suborbital spaceflight and book chapters on topics such as space technologies benefiting terrestrial medicine, psychological resilience in long-duration spaceflight, reproduction and sexuality in space, and the future of space medicine.

After transitioning from a career in neurosurgery, Dr. Pandya has continued to develop her skills in martial arts. She holds a black belt in taekwondo, a sport she has practiced for over 15 years, and she trains annually in muay thai in Thailand since 2015.

Dr. Shawna Pandya is also proficient in multiple languages, including French, Spanish, and Russian. Dr. Pandya holds a B.Sc. in neuroscience and an MD in medicine from the University of Alberta, as well as an M.Sc. in space sciences from the International Space University.