Gopichand Thotakura Launches Into Space From Texas Aboard Blue Origin

DALLAS, TX (IANS) – Captain Gopichand Thotakura on May 19 became the first Indian ever to tour the edge of space on Blue Origin’s crewed flight mission.

The seventh human flight mission by the Jeff Bezos-owned company also carried five others — 90-year-old Ed Dwight, Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Kenneth L. Hess, and Carol Schaller.

The 11-minute flight launched at 8.06 pm IST from the company’s Launch Site One in West Texas.

The reusable New Shepard rocket, on its 25th mission, flew the six-person crew to space above the Karman line — an internationally recognized boundary of space that lies 100 km above the Earth’s surface.

Vijayawada-born pilot Thotakura came to the US for aeronautical engineering about 15 years ago. He completed his studies at Embry Riddle in Daytona Beach, Florida.

“Capsule touchdown. Welcome back, #NS25 crew!” Blue Origin said in a post on X.

This was Blue Origin’s first flight in nearly two years, after the New Shepard rocket was grounded for months after a failed uncrewed launch in September 2022.