Sirisha Bandla : “It’s interesting how much of a mental barrier there is for people when they see somebody they can’t relate to, doing what they want” With one small step, this India-born rocket scientist made a giant leap for womankind. Sirisha Bandla has made headlines as the second Indian-origin woman to head to space as part of Virgin Space Ship Unity on July 11. For the foreseeable future, Sirisha Bandla is likely to have the same introduction that sets her apart in any room she inhabits: the girl who went to space. In July 2021, the aeronautical engineer was among the six passengers on the Unity 22 spaceflight, a historic feat—not only because Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic is the world’s first fully crewed suborbital test flight, but also because Bandla , a girl from Andhra Pradesh, is only the second Indian-born woman to reach this far. Sirisha Bandla (born 1988) is an Indian American aeronautical engineer and commercial astronaut. [2] She is the Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations for Virgin Galactic. [3]
