Sirisha becomes 3rd Indian-origin woman to fly into space as Branson’s mission is a success

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<strong>Richard Branson reached space successfully with his team on board Virgin Galactic after which the spacecraft glided back to earth and touched down safely to complete the hour-long flight on Sunday, paving the way for new-era space tourism.</strong></p>
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After landing, Branson tweeted : “ I have dreamt about this moment as a child but going to space was more magical than I ever imagined."</p>
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I have dreamt about this moment since I was a child, but going to space was more magical than I ever imagined <a href="https://t.co/Wyzj0nOBgX">https://t.co/Wyzj0nOBgX</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Unity22?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Unity22</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/virgingalactic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@virgingalactic</a> <a href="https://t.co/grs7vHAzca">pic.twitter.com/grs7vHAzca</a></p>
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) <a href="https://twitter.com/richardbranson/status/1414267119743782919?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2021</a></blockquote>
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A photo released by the company showed Branson and the three others in zero gravity.</p>
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<strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/science-news/grandpa-in-india-tracking-sirisha-bandla-s-new-era-flight-into-space-100089.html">Grandpa in India tracking Sirisha Bandla’s new-era flight into space</a></strong></p>
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"Congratulations to all our wonderful team at Virgin Galactic for 17 years of hard, hard work to get us this far," Branson said during a live feed as the VSS Unity spaceship glided back to Spaceport America in New Mexico.</p>
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It reached a peak altitude of around 53 miles (85 kilometres) to the edge of space allowing the passengers to experience weightlessness and admire the sight of Earth's curvature.</p>
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The success of the mission also means that Branson has beaten arch rival Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in the race  into space. Bezos is scheduled to take off on a similar mission a few days later on July 20.</p>
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<strong>India connection</strong></p>
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As part of the crew on the spacecraft, aeronautical engineer Sirisha Bandla became the third Indian-origin woman to fly into space after Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams. Sirisha was born in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh and brought up in Houston.</p>
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"I am so incredibly honoured to be a part of the amazing crew of #Unity22, and to be a part of a company whose mission is to make space available to all," 34-year-old Sirisha tweeted days before the flight.</p>
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<strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/tech-news/british-billionaire-branson-says-he-is-not-in-race-with-us-rival-bezos-to-fly-into-space-101124.html">British billionaire Branson says he is not in race with US rival Bezos to fly into space</a></strong></p>
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"When I first heard that I was getting this opportunity, it was just… I was speechless. I think that that probably captured it very well. This is an incredible opportunity to get people from different backgrounds, different geographies and different communities into space," she said in a video posted on the Twitter handle of Virgin Galactic on July 6.</p>
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Her grandfather based in Guntur, who described her “as very brave,” has been keenly tracking the flight.</p>