Sirisha Bandla found her affinity for flying at a very young age. The aeronautical engineer became the third woman of Indian origin to go to space. She became one of the first few passengers on a successful flight in the race to make space travel possible for all.
From an unknown town in India to becoming a test passenger in the Virgin Galactic's Unity 22 flight, Sirisha's journey has been of great excitement and adventure. Let us take a look at the biography of astronaut Sirisha Bandla.
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Early Life And Family
Sirisha Bandla was born in Andhra Pradesh, India, in January 1987. Her family consists of her mother Anuradha Bandla, father Muralidhar Bandla, and elder sister Pratyusha Bandla. Her family moved from Guntur, India, to Texas, USA, when she was four years old.
Ever since a young age, the astronaut was surrounded by great minds and scholars. For example, Sirisha Bandla's sister is a biological science technician in Maryland. Moreover, her paternal grandfather Dr. Bandla Ragaiah is an agricultural scientist, and her maternal grandfather Venkat Narsaiah is a former chemistry professor.
Despite living miles away from her home country, Sirisha Bandla still connects to her roots with her frequent visits to India. Photo Source: Sirisha's Instagram.
Although the vice president of government affairs of Virgin Galactic has lived in the USA for most of her life, she is still deeply connected to her Indian roots. As a result, Sirisha Bandla constantly makes trips to India to meet her family there.
While moving from India to the USA, Bandla was introduced to flying. The young girl wanted to work on planes and aircraft. With great hard work, Sirisha fulfilled her long-held dream.
The astronaut was able to complete her undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University in 2011. Then in 2015, the engineer completed her graduate degree in business administration from George Washington University.
Sirisha Bandla Net Worth And Career
Ever since she was a child, the engineer dreamed of going to space. The aeronautical and astronomical engineering degree she pursued was to enable her to enter NASA. Sirisha Bandla wanted to join NASA and one day become an astronaut. But, unfortunately, fate had different plans for her.
Sirisha Bandla worked as an engineer in different companies. First, she started as a design, test, and analysis co-op in ATA Engineering. Then, she went on to work as a mechanical engineer in the L-3 Communications Integrated Systems while pursuing her bachelor's degree. While working these jobs, the space fanatic could have earned around $71,000 a year, according to Salary.com.
Following her passion for space, the astronaut joined the Commercial Spaceflight Federation as an associate director. After working for a few years in the company, she left to join Virgin Galactic, where she was in the government affairs department. With her MBA degree, Sirisha Bandla became the Business Development & Government Affairs Manager at Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit.
Sirisha Bandla joined the Virgin Group in 2015 and was able to go to space as astronaut number 004. Photo Source: Sirisha's Instagram.
Her passion and dedication for her job helped her rise in positions, and she became the Director of Washington Operations in January 2020. In just a year, Sirisha Bandla became the Vice President of Government Affairs at Virgin Galactic. Working in such a high position allowed her to become very close to Richard Branson, the multinational conglomerate Virgin Group founder.
Due to her working closely with Richard Branson, Sirisha Bandla became Astronaut number 004 to join him in his trip to space.
Despite her long list of employment, Sirisha Bandla's net worth is a piece of information not known to the public. However, she does live a comfortable life with constant travels and vacations. Moreover, it is a known fact that engineers can earn a good living.
Unlike Sirisha Bandla, her boss Richard Branson's net worth has been evaluated, and he is worth over $5.4 billion. The billionaire makes a lavish living off of The Virgin Group, which includes multiple companies like Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Orbit, Virgin Galactic, and Virgin Records. The business conglomerate opened Virgin Galactic to fulfill his lifelong dream of space travel. He was able to achieve it in 2021.
A Trip To Space
Sirisha Bandla became one of the first people to become a passenger on the Virgin Galactic. Although just a test flight, it was an excellent feat for Virgin Group Ltd. after 17 years-long research and hard work. The test flight consisted of the founder of the Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson, pilots Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci, and astronauts Colin Bennet and Beth Moses.
They left for space on an hour-long flight on July 11, 2021. The main aim of this test flight was to conduct research on the different effects of space and zero gravity on items. For example, Sirisha Bandla's aim was to evaluate the research experience in space and how researching in zero gravity is different.
In the 21st-century billionaire space race, Richard Branson became the first billionaire to reach space. He beat Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to space by just 9 days. The crew spent 4 minutes in weightlessness and reached 53.5 miles above the earth's surface. Family and supporters cheered on when the Unity 22 safely landed back on earth.
After the successful mission, the multi-billionaire and his team were congratulated by fellow multi-billionaire and SpaceX founder Elon Musk. Elon went to his home to wish him the best on his journey and also congratulated him on being the first person to reach space aboard his own spaceship.
Virgin Galactic aims to open space for all and send people to space tours and missions. A flight to space aboard a Virgin Galactic flight will cost one $250,000 per person. Undoubtedly, it is a very steep price to pay, but it is a step towards making space travel more accessible to the public.
Engaged To Her Boyfriend
As her fame is rising by the day, Sirisha Bandla surely has a lot of curious fans. Many people wish to know the relationship status of the astronaut. It may not come as a surprise, but Bandla is engaged.
Sirisha Bandla's then-boyfriend Sean Hu proposed to her in May 2019. The happy couple posted lovey-dovey pictures on their social media to announce the good news to their friends, families, and followers. Although when and how the couple met is not exactly known, based on their Instagram, we can say that they've been dating at least since 2015.
Sirisha Bandla got engaged to her engineer boyfriend Sean Hu in 2019. Photo Source: Sirisha's Instagram.
Sirisha Bandla's fiancé Sean Hu is also an engineer. Sean has worked in healthcare design for over a decade, and his expertise in the field has been of great help for multiple hospitals. So these two genius minds are certainly a match made in heaven.
The lovely duo has yet to announce their wedding plans and the wedding date. But it is inevitable that whenever it might be, the couple will be the happiest to be with one another.
The astronaut has achieved a lot in over a decade of her career, and she has a long way to go. For that, we wish her the best.
Trivia
- Sirisha Bandla has met the late scientist Stephen Hawking.
- The engineer loves to travel to India with her fiance and teach him about her culture.
