From Agra to the Stars: 80-Year-Old Indian-Origin Adventurer Arvi Bahal Blasts Off with Blue Origin
On August 3, 2025, the global space community turned its eyes to West Texas as Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket successfully launched its NS-34 mission. Among the diverse crew was a man whose journey began in Agra, India, and whose adventurous spirit has now taken him to the final frontier: 80-year-old Arvinder "Arvi" Singh Bahal.
Bahal, a naturalized U.S. citizen and a successful real estate investor, joined five other private citizens on the short suborbital flight. This mission, the 14th human spaceflight for Blue Origin, continues the company's efforts to open up space travel to a wider demographic.
Born near the iconic Taj Mahal, Bahal has lived a life defined by exploration. He has an incredible record of having visited every country in the world, journeying to both the North and South Poles, and even skydiving over Mount Everest. His journey into space, lasting approximately 11 minutes, was the culmination of a lifelong dream that first took root years ago when he had a reservation with a different commercial space company.
The NS-34 flight carried its crew beyond the Kármán line—the internationally recognized boundary of space at an altitude of 100 kilometers. For several minutes, the passengers experienced the profound sensation of weightlessness and were treated to a breathtaking view of Earth's curvature against the darkness of space.
Bahal’s participation in the mission is a powerful testament to the idea that age is no barrier to adventure. His flight, along with fellow crewmembers including Turkish businessman Gökhan Erdem and crypto billionaire Justin Sun, highlights the expanding accessibility of space tourism. With each successful flight, Blue Origin normalizes private human spaceflight and inspires a new generation of explorers to look beyond the horizon—and, in Bahal's case, to the stars