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NORTH AmERIcAN Newsline JULY 23, 2021 | The Indian Eye 26

how Sanjal Gavande helped design

jeff Bezos’ New Shephard rocket

Born in Kalyan, Maharashtra, Gavande is an Indian American systems engineer at

Blue Origin who always dreamt of designing aerospace rockets

Our Bureau

New York

eff Bezos blasted into
space July 20 on his rocket
Jcompany Blue Origin’s first
flight with people on board, be-
coming the second billionaire
in just over a week to ride his
own spacecraft, AP reported
from Van Horn, Texas. Follow-
ing the grand Richard Branson
show where he carried Indian
American Sirisha Bandla and
fellow space travelers on his
shoulders after successfully fly-
ing to the edge of space, it is
time for Amazon’s founder to
applaud Sanjal Gavande, one
of the key engineers who de-
signed the New Shephard rock-
et that took Bezos and the crew
to the edge of space aboard On July 12, Bandla touched and Surekha, a retired MTNL ment at Orange City in Califor-
what is touted as the world’s the edge of space with three employee who told the Times nia,” her father Ashok Gavande
first unpiloted suborbital flight. others, including Virgin Ga- of India that her daughter had told India Today. “People told
Born in Kalyan, Maha- lactic’s billionaire CEO Rich- been interested in space since us that she is a girl, so why has
rashtra, Gavande is an Indian ard Branson. “Best day ever!” she was a child. “I am real- she opted for mechanical engi-
American systems engineer at Bezos said when the capsule ly happy that my childhood neering? I also thought some-
Blue Origin who always dreamt touched down on the desert dream is about to come true. I times about whether she would
of designing aerospace rockets. floor in remote West Texas af- am proud to be a part of Team be able to handle such hard
After completing her bachelor’s ter the 10-minute flight, AP re- Blue Origin,” Gavande told ToI work. She has now made us all
degree in mechanical engineer- ported. “My expectations were by phone. proud. She had a dream of de-
ing from the University of Mum- high and they were dramatical- She has also worked with sign aerospace rockets and she
bai, she flew to the U.S. in 2011 ly exceeded,” Bezos said later. Mercury Marine after finish- has achieved it,” Gavande’s
to pursue a master’s in mechan- Blue Origin — founded by ing her master’s degree, as well proud mother said, according
ical engineering from Michigan Bezos in 2000 in Kent, Wash- as with Toyota racing develop- to NDTV.
Technological University. ington, near Amazon’s Se-
She also applied for an attle headquarters — hasn’t
engineering job at the NASA revealed its price for a ride to
space agency but finally land- space but has lined up spots
ed her dream job at Blue Or- for other auction bidders. Tick- to aDVertise
igin as a systems engineer. et sales, including the auction,
Bezos was accompanied by his are approaching $100 million, contact:
brother Mark, aviation pioneer Bezos said. Two more flights
Mary Wallace ‘Wally’ Funk and are planned by year’s end. tel: 732-397-2871
other passengers on the rock- According to an NDTV re-
et. Bezos chose July 20 as the port, Gavande is the daughter email: [email protected]
launch date to honor the 52nd of Ashok Gavande, a retired
anniversary of the Apollo 11 employee of the Kalyan-Dom-
moon landing. bivli Municipal Corporation,

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