From Agra to edge of space: Arvi Bahal to fly on Bezos' Blue Origin spaceflight

India-born businessman Arvi Bahal is all set to travel to space aboard Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin NS-34 mission. This mission is the 14th human flight under the New Shepard programme and the 34th in its history. Indian-American Bahal will travel to space as part of the six-member crew.

So far, Blue Origin has flown 70 people above the Karaman line, the internationally recognised boundary of space, offering brief moments of weightlessness and a panoramic view of the Earth.

The Karman Line, set at an altitude of 100 kilometres above sea level, is widely recognised as the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space.

The live webcast on launch day will start 30 minutes before lift off, according to the US-based space technology company.

Joining Bahal on the flight are Turkish businessman Gkhan Erdem, meteorologist Deborah Martorell, teacher Lionel Pitchford, repeat flier JD Russell, and Justin Sun – a tech entrepreneur and the original $28 million winning bidder for the first New Shepard seat in 2021.

WHO IS ARVI BAHAL?

Arvi Bahal is a real estate investor born in Agra and is now a naturalised US citizen.

A lifelong traveller and adventurer, Bahal has visited every country in the world, the North and South Poles, and skydived on Mount Everest and the Pyramids of Giza. He holds a private pilot's licence and also flies helicopters, according to Blue Origin.

Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp expressed enthusiasm for the company's mission, highlighting the growing momentum of its space tourism program.

"Looking forward to our sixth New Shepard launch this year and welcoming back our fifth astronaut to fly twice! Proud to have this international crew as we continue opening up space to people from all backgrounds," Limp said in a post on X.

Notably, Gopichand Thotakura was the first Indian to venture into space as a tourist as part of Blue Origin's New Shepard-25 (NS-25) mission.

OTHERS ACCOMPANYING ARVI BAHAL ALSO BIG LEAGUERS

Gkhan Erdem is a Turkish businessman and a board member of Erdem Holding, a diverse group of companies operating in the energy, telecommunications, construction, and manufacturing sectors.

Outside of his professional responsibilities, Gkhan is a passionate space enthusiast and an avid photographer. Deeply inspired by space exploration, he dreams of one day travelling to the Space Station and possibly even beyond, Blue Origin wrote on its website.

The third crew member's name is Deborah Martorell. She is a Puerto Rican meteorologist and journalist. Her reporting on environmental and space topics has garnered eight Emmy Awards and two Awards of Excellence in Science Reporting from the American Meteorological Society, according to Blue Origin.

The fourth crew member is Lionel Pitchford, an Englishman who has spent the last four decades in Spain working as a teacher, translator, and tour guide as a means to travel the world. In 1992, following a plane crash with his sister and her family onboard, Lionel founded a nonprofit in Nepal dedicated to serving disadvantaged children and girls, Blue Origin reported.

The fifth member is JD Russel, an entrepreneur and founder of Alpha Funds, a technology-focused venture capital company, and Alpha Aerospace, an aerospace consulting and solutions company. He founded the Victoria Russell Foundation to honour the memory of his deceased daughter.

The foundation is dedicated to supporting children's education and assisting the families of first responders, Bezos's Blue Origin wrote about his profile.

Justin Sun is the Ambassador and former Permanent Representative of Grenada to the World Trade Organisation, founder of TRON - a cryptocurrency with an associated blockchain DAO ecosystem, and advisor to HTX - one of the world's largest crypto exchanges. A protege of Alibaba's Jack Ma, Sun was featured on the cover of Forbes Magazine in April 2025, where he was recognised as one of the most dynamic and outspoken figures in crypto, earning the moniker "Crypto's Billionaire Barker" for his bold approach to innovation, advocacy, and industry leadership.

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