The astronauts will experience several minutes of weightlessness before making a controlled descent back to the landing pad.
New Delhi: The US-based Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA) and Blue Origin on Monday announced India as a partner nation in their human spaceflight programme. This, they said was in a bid to “democratise space”.
India, as a partner nation in the proposed human spaceflight program, will see SERA offering Indian citizens a seat aboard Blue Origin’s reusable rocket, New Shepard. This mission will take passengers on an 11-minute journey beyond the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space, located 100 km above Earth.
Indian citizens are included among the six seats that SERA and Blue Origin are offering to individuals from countries with minimal or no representation in citizen astronaut missions.
The astronauts will undergo several minutes of weightlessness before commencing a controlled descent to the landing pad.
“We’re excited to have India as part of our human spaceflight programme,” said Joshua Skurla, Co-Founder, of SERA.
While praising India for becoming the first country to reach the Moon’s South Pole, he stated that the company’s goal is to make space accessible to everyone and is pleased to provide this unique opportunity to an Indian citizen who wishes to experience the marvels of space travel.
Any Indian citizen may register for the program by paying a fee of approximately $2.50 to cover the costs of verification checks, ensuring safe and equitable voting.
The public will vote for the final candidates, who can promote their stories through their mission profile pages, social media, and other platforms, for a chance to journey to space aboard the New Shepard mission.
Potential astronauts must fulfill Blue Origin’s physical criteria. The selected crew of six will convene at Blue Origin’s West Texas launch site for a three-day training session prior to the flight.
(With IANS inputs)