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 became — and remains — the only Indian to have the honour, when he went aboard the Russian Soyuz T-11 spacecraft.
In a media statement, Mr. Thotakura describes himself as the “first civilian Indian astronaut”. In response to questions from The Hindu, he reasoned that he would be an astronaut because anyone who crosses the Karman Line — the boundary that separates Earth’s atmosphere and outer space, and is at about 80 km above sea level — is considered one.
