Last month, in an exclusive interview to TOI, the founders of SERA, Joshua Skurla and Sam Hutchison had said they were keen on partnering with India too. “…One of the things we love about India as a potential partner country is all of its space infrastructure and activity. India can take a leadership role among other nations and demonstrate its strength and leadership, which has kept our interest,” Skurla had told TOI.
Human Spaceflight Program
SERA will offer six seats on Blue Origin’s New Shepard, a reusable suborbital rocket, to citizens from across the globe. “We’re excited to have India as part of our human spaceflight program,” said Joshua Skurla, co-founder of SERA. “India has achieved remarkable milestones in its space journey the past few years, including becoming the first country to reach the Moon’s south pole region. We want to make space accessible for everyone and are happy to offer this unique opportunity to an Indian citizen who wants to experience the wonders of space travel.”
Journey Beyond the Kármán Line
The selected astronauts will embark on an 11-minute journey past the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space at 100 km above Earth. During the flight, astronauts will experience several minutes of weightlessness before making a controlled descent back to the landing pad. Phil Joyce, SVP of New Shepard, emphasized, “This program exemplifies our commitment to making space accessible to everyone.”
Application Process
Indian citizens can register for this historic opportunity by paying a fee of approximately $2.50 (around ₹209), covering verification checks. The selection process involves public voting, allowing citizens to choose their nation’s space representatives. Candidates must meet Blue Origin’s physical requirements and can garner votes by sharing their stories through mission profile pages and social media platforms.
Voting and Selection
The voting process will progress through three elimination phases, with the public voting only for candidates from their respective nations or regions, except for the sixth global seat. “By giving communities the power to choose their astronauts, we ensure this mission is driven by people, for people,” said Sam Hutchison, co-founder of SERA. “This approach will ignite national conversations on space and foster international collaboration in space exploration. The minimal physical requirements and training for New Shepard’s flight lower the barrier to entry by allowing more diverse and inclusive participation in space.”
Training for Spaceflight
The final six crew members will arrive three days before the flight for training at Blue Origin’s launch site in West Texas. “We’re proud to support SERA in their efforts to send an Indian citizen to space and inspire the next generation of space explorers,” added Joyce.India has been making significant strides in space exploration. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been preparing for its human space flight mission, Gaganyaan, and has selected group captains Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Angad Prathap, Ajit Krishnan, and wing commander Shubanshu Shukla as astronauts for the mission.
India has achieved key milestones in the space sector in the last few months, the most significant of which was landing on the unexplored south pole of the moon – the first country to achieve the feat.
It also launched its first solar mission in September and is working with the Elon Musk-led SpaceX to launch a communications satellite.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was sworn in for a rare third term last month, has been focusing on increased privatisation and commercialisation of the space sector, pushing for it to play a larger role on a world stage dominated by India and the U.S.
(With inputs from TOI, Reuters)