After Virgin Atlantic honcho Richard Branson and former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos went on historical space travel missions, space tourism has become the latest travel trend. Kerala-based entreprenuer Santhosh George Kulangara might soon become India’s first person to travel to space as a tourist. Kulangara was selected by Branson’s Virgin Galactic as a space tourist all the way back in 2007. Fast forward to today, Santhosh George Kulangara will splurge $250,000 (₹1.8 crores) for an experience that he deems is totally worth it. Here’s everything about it.
Santhosh George Kulangara To Become India’s First Space Tourist
49-year-old Santhosh George Kulangara from Kerala is the founder of Safari TV, a channel dedicated to travel and exploration. An avid travel enthusiast, Kulangara was selected by Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic as a paid space tourist in 2007. He revealed to The Indian Express that he completed his training to go to space in 2011. The training was mostly to gauge if the space tourists can withstand certain conditions during the trip. Now, Virgin is yet to confirm when Kulangara will go to space and if he requires further training or medical tests to board the spaceshit.
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He Is An Avid Traveller Who Visited 130 Countries
Santhosh George Kulangara believes that space tourism can become the next big thing for humans. He stated to The Indian Express that space tourism is an investment for the future. Before signing the contract with Virgin in 2007 he insisted on being allowed to shoot during the space trip so people at home can watch the unique sights. Kulangara is a keen traveller who has visited over 130 countries across 7 continents. He insists that travel broadens our horizon. In his opinioon, Indians must focus on travelling like Westerners, invest their money for life experiences instead of keeping them in banks. One country he wishes Indians must visit is China, due to its stunning tourism.
Meanwhile, here’s the inspiring story of a 73-year-old woman who goes solo travelling in India.