Indian-origin Tushar Shah to fly on Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin’s NS-30 mission on February 25. Where to watch

Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos, is set to launch another Indian-origin space tourist on its next crewed mission. The New Shepard-30 (NS-30) flight is scheduled for liftoff on February 25 at 9:30 PM IST from Texas, carrying six passengers — including Tushar Shah. The company shared a photo of the crew from the launch site on X (formerly Twitter).  

The NS-30 mission marks Blue Origin’s 30th spaceflight and its 10th human spaceflight. The six-member crew includes Lane Bess, Jesús Calleja, Elaine Chia Hyde, Dr Richard Scott, and Tushar Shah. Notably, Bess will become one of the few astronauts to fly with Blue Origin twice.  

Shah will be the second Indian-origin space tourist aboard a New Shepard spacecraft, following Gopi Thotakura, who flew in May 2024. A partner and co-head of research at a quantitative hedge fund in New York City, Shah holds undergraduate and PhD degrees in high-energy experimental particle physics from MIT. He and his wife, Sara, are actively involved in philanthropy, focusing on poverty alleviation, healthcare, and education. The couple has two children.  

During the 10-12 minute suborbital flight, passengers will experience a brief period of weightlessness and a view of Earth from space before the capsule returns to land via parachute. Blue Origin has not disclosed ticket prices for the mission.  

The company’s first crewed launch took place on July 20, 2021, with Jeff Bezos among the passengers. With NS-30, Blue Origin will have sent a total of 53 astronauts to space.  

The mission will be streamed live on https://www.blueorigin.com, starting 35 minutes before liftoff. The company may also broadcast the launch on its X handle.