Sirisha Bandla pursued her passion for aerospace by earning a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University.
Sirisha Bandla is an Indian-American aeronautical engineer and space tourist who currently serves as the Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations at Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic. She became the second India-born woman to venture into space and the fourth Indian-origin person to cross the Kármán line, following the footsteps of Rakesh Sharma, Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams, when she flew on the Virgin Galactic Unity 22 mission.
Born in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, Bandla belongs to a Telugu Hindu family. During her early years, she split her time between her grandfather's house in Hyderabad and her grandmother's house in Tenali. When she was five years old, her family relocated to Houston, United States.
Bandla pursued her passion for aerospace by earning a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University. She later obtained a master's degree in business administration from George Washington University.
Although Bandla aspired to become a NASA astronaut, she was disqualified on medical grounds due to her eyesight. Undeterred, she began her career working as an aerospace engineer for the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, collaborating closely with Matthew Isakowitz. In honor of Isakowitz, she co-founded the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship.
In 2015, Bandla joined Virgin Galactic as Vice President of Government Affairs. On July 11, 2021, she participated in the Virgin Galactic Unity 22 test flight alongside notable crew members including Sir Richard Branson. The rocket plane reached an altitude of 85 km (53 mi) above Earth, qualifying the crew as FAA commercial astronauts. During this flight, Bandla conducted an experiment from the University of Florida to study how plants respond to changes in gravity. Her grandfather, Dr. Bandla Ragaiah, proudly remarked on her lifelong ambition to explore space, noting that her achievement was a realization of her dreams.
Although Bandla was not part of the Flight Crew, as the VF-01 was an automated launch, she is officially classified as a Space Tourist by the Federal Aviation Administration.
In recognition of her contributions and pioneering spirit, Bandla was honored as one of the BBC 100 Women in December 2022.
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