In a significant step towards democratising space travel, the US-based Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA) and Blue Origin announced on Monday that India will join their human spaceflight programme as a partner nation.
SERA will offer Indian citizens a seat on Blue Origin’s future mission using the reusable rocket, New Shepard. The 11-minute journey will take passengers past the Karman line, 100 km above Earth, the internationally recognised boundary of space.
Indian citizens will be among the six seats that SERA and Blue Origin aim to provide to individuals from countries with limited or no spaceflight history.
The astronauts will experience several minutes of weightlessness before making a controlled descent back to the landing pad.
“We’re excited to have India as part of our human spaceflight programme,” said Joshua Skurla, Co-Founder of SERA.
Skurla praised India for becoming the first country to reach the Moon’s South Pole and expressed the company’s aim to make space accessible to everyone. “We are happy to offer this unique opportunity to an Indian citizen who wants to experience the wonders of space travel,” he said.
Indian citizens can register for the programme by paying a fee of approximately $2.50, which will cover verification checks to ensure safe and fair voting.
The final candidates will be chosen by public vote based on their stories, which they can promote via their mission profile pages, social media, and other resources.
Potential astronauts will need to meet Blue Origin’s physical requirements.
The final crew of six will arrive three days before the flight for training at Blue Origin’s launch site in West Texas.
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