Why in news
Earlier this month, Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin announced six crew members who would be part of a forthcoming commercial flight to space.
Of interest to India is one participant, Gopichand Thotakura, an Indian businessman and pilot, who is based in the United States.
While an actual launch date has not been specified.
A successful trip to space could make Mr. Thotakura the first Indian in space since Rakesh Sharma who in April 1984.
And became and remains the only Indian to have the honour, when he went aboard the Russian Soyuz T-11 spacecraft.
Blue Origin’s NS-25 mission
Mission Highlights
Type: Suborbital spaceflight mission
Launch Vehicle: New Shepard rocket
Launch Date: Planned for 2024 (exact date yet to be announced)
Crew: Six people
Significance
Seventh human flight: for the New Shepard program.
Return to flight: This will be the first crewed mission since a September 2022 engine failure grounded the New Shepard fleet.
Firsts: Potentially the first Black astronaut candidate and the first Indian space tourist to fly on a commercial space mission.
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