Sirisha Bandla, Indo-American woman flies into space with Richard Branson

By: WE Staff | Monday, 12 July 2021

Sirisha Bandla, the vice president of government affairs and research operations at Virgin Galactic (SPCE), and Branson, as well as two other employees, Beth Moses and Colin Bennett, roared into the sky over New Mexico early Sunday.

According to the US Embassy in India, Bandla is the third Indian-origin woman to fly into space, following American citizens Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams.

Many famous Indians are excited about her flight, including the country's vice president, Venkaiah Naidu, who tweeted that she will be a role model for girls everywhere.

“Glad to know that Sirisha Bandla became the second India-born woman to fly into space. Her achievement will motivate many more young girls in India & abroad to take up challenging careers. Heartiest congratulations to Sirisha Bandla, her parents and mentors!”-Tweet from the Vice President, Venkaiah Naidu.

Anand Mahindra, the billionaire and chairman of Mahindra Group, also congratulated Bandla on Twitter (TWTR), saying “Indian women are not just breaking glass ceilings—they’re literally dismantling ALL ceilings on this planet and rocketing into space. Keep flying high @SirishaBandla . You went from Guntur to Zero-Gravity.”

She has also served as a manager in a number of organisations. She has been working at Virgin Galactic since 2017 and has now been given the opportunity to travel to space with the company's founder and other members.

She enrolled at Purdue University in 2006 after completing her basic education at a local school in Texas. In 2011, she received her Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical, Aerospace, and Astronautical Engineering.

Bandla earned her master's degree in business administration from The George Washington University in 2015. She aspires to great heights and has worked very hard to achieve her goal.