Indian entrepreneur and pilot Gopi Thotakura with crew members of Blue Origin- PTI
Amaravati: The ruling YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh on Monday congratulated Gopi Thotakura for achieving the distinction of being the first Indian to go to space as a tourist aboard Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin NS – 25 mission.
In a post on ‘X’, YSRCP noted that Thotakura hails from Vijayawada and said “It is a moment of pride for all the Telugu people as Gopichand (Gopi) emerged as the first Indian space tourist.”
Thotakura (30) was selected as one of the six crew members for the mission.
He co-founded Preserve Life Corp, a global centre for holistic wellness and applied health located near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
In addition to flying jets commercially, Thotakura pilots bush, aerobatic and seaplanes, as well as gliders and hot air balloons, and has served as an international medical jet pilot.
A lifelong traveller, his most recent adventure took him to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Andhra Pradesh-born Thotakura is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
This post was last modified on May 20, 2024 9:03 pm