This 80‑year‑old India-origin adventurer just flew to space
What's the story
Arvinder 'Arvi' Singh Bahal, an 80-year-old real estate investor from Agra, India, has made history by flying to the edge of space on Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin NS-34 mission. The launch took place on Sunday at 7:30am local time (6:00pm IST) from Launch Site One in West Texas. This was Blue Origin's 14th human flight and the 34th mission overall. With NS-34 flight, the company has now flown 70 people above the Karman line, the internationally recognized boundary of space.
Adventurous spirit
Bahal's adventures on Earth
Bahal, now a US citizen, is no stranger to pushing boundaries. He has visited every country on Earth, including remote destinations such as the North and South Poles. His extreme adventures include skydiving over Mount Everest and the Pyramids of Giza. Blue Origin described him as "a lifelong traveler and adventurer" who also holds a private pilot's license for flying helicopters.
Career highlights
His journey on New Shepard rocket
Bahal has been the president of Bahal Properties, a real estate firm he founded in 1975. His journey on the New Shepard rocket took his passion for exploration beyond Earth. He shared the six-seat capsule with other space tourists including Turkish businessman Gokhan Erdem; Puerto Rican meteorologist and Emmy Award-winning journalist Deborah Martorell. They were joined by English philanthropist Lionel Pitchford; entrepreneur J.D. Russell, a previous NS-28 flyer; and Justin Sun, Ambassador and former Representative of Grenada to the WTO.