A file photo the New Shepard rocket taking off from the Blue Origin base near Van Horn, Texas, U.S.A. on May 19, 2024.
| Photo Credit: BLUE ORIGIN

US-based Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA), in collaboration with Jeff Bezos funded Blue Origin, has announced India as a partner nation in their human spaceflight programme for citizens from countries who have sent few, or no, astronaut to space.

On July 1, SERA announced that it will offer citizens from across the world six seats on a future mission of New Shepard, which is the reusable sub-orbital rocket of Blue Origin.

New Shepard will fly the selected astronauts on an 11-minute journey past the Kármán line (100 km), the internationally recognised boundary of space. 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 space flight programme. India has achieved remarkable milestones in its space journey the past few years, including becoming the first country to reach the southern pole of the Moon. 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,” said Joshua Skurla, co-founder of SERA.

Who can register for space flight?

Any Indian citizen can register for the programme by paying a fee of ~$2.50 to cover the cost of verification checks that ensure safe and fair voting. The final candidate will be voted for by the public for an opportunity to fly to space on board the New Shepard mission.

“Our mission is to democratise space by enabling citizens from over 150 countries with limited access to space to participate in ground-breaking research and create history. Our aim is to empower people globally to have a voice and stake in the future of space exploration,” added Joshua Skurla.

Process of voting who will get a seat on New Shepherd

SERA added that the potential astronauts will be required to meet the physical requirements laid down by Blue Origin. They can garner votes by telling their story to the public, using their mission profile pages, social media, and other resources. Voting will progress through candidate elimination across three phases. The public will vote only for candidates from their nation or region, 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. 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 lowers the barrier to entry by allowing more diverse and inclusive participation in space,” said Sam Hutchison, co-founder of SERA.

The six persons chosen for the mission will arrive three days prior to the flight for training at Blue Origin’s launch site in West Texas, U.S.A.