Arvi Bahal: The Agra-Born Explorer Joining Blue Origin’s NS-34 Crew
Arvinder (Arvi) Singh Bahal, an Agra-born adventurer and real estate investor, has joined Blue Origin’s NS-34 crew on their journey to space. This mission, known as NS-34, marks the 14th human flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard program and the 34th overall mission in its history.
The NS-34 crew launched on August 3, 2025, from Launch Site One in West Texas. With this flight, Blue Origin continues its efforts to make space travel accessible, taking the total number of people flown above the internationally recognised boundary of space—the Kármán line—to 76.
Who is Arvinder (Arvi) Singh Bahal?
Among the six-member crew is Arvinder (Arvi) Singh Bahal, a real estate investor and lifelong adventurer. Born in Agra, India, and now a naturalised US citizen, Arvi has travelled to every country in the world, journeyed to both the North and South Poles, and even skydived over Mount Everest and the Pyramids of Giza. He is also a licensed private pilot and helicopter pilot, showcasing his love for aviation and exploration.
Meet the Rest of the NS-34 Crew
In addition to Arvi, the NS-34 crew features five other remarkable individuals:
Gökhan Erdem
Gökhan Erdem is a Turkish businessman and board member of Erdem Holding, a company involved in energy, telecommunications, construction, and manufacturing. A passionate space enthusiast and avid photographer, Gökhan dreams of one day travelling to the International Space Station and exploring even further into space.
Deborah Martorell
Deborah Martorell is an Emmy-winning Puerto Rican meteorologist and journalist known for her science and space reporting. She has participated in a NASA microgravity flight, covered key space missions like Artemis 1, and reported on Puerto Rico’s first nanosatellite, CuNARD-2. Deborah is also part of the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences’ project PoSSUM and serves as a Solar System Ambassador for NASA.
Lionel Pitchford
Lionel Pitchford is an Englishman who has spent the past four decades in Spain as a teacher, translator, and tour guide. After surviving a family plane crash in 1992, he founded a nonprofit in Nepal dedicated to helping disadvantaged children and has run an orphanage in Kathmandu for over 30 years. His journey to space fulfils a lifelong dream and serves as inspiration for others to believe in the impossible.
James (J.D.) Russell
James (J.D.) Russell is a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and aerospace consultant. He founded the Victoria Russell Foundation in memory of his late daughter, supporting children’s education and families of first responders. J.D. is also a partner of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, providing free books to children. This is his second spaceflight, following his first journey on NS-28 in 2024.
H.E. Justin Sun
H.E. Justin Sun is a well-known entrepreneur, crypto pioneer, and Prime Minister of Liberland. He founded TRON, a leading blockchain platform, and serves as an advisor to HTX, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges. Recognised on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list and featured on the cover of Forbes in 2025, Justin is also an art collector, philanthropist, and avid space enthusiast. In 2021, he won the first seat on New Shepard with a $28 million bid, with proceeds donated to 19 space-focused nonprofits through Blue Origin’s Club for the Future.
What Is Blue Origin?
Blue Origin is an American aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos in 2000 and based in Kent, Washington. It develops rocket engines, spacecraft, satellites, and heavy-lift launch vehicles. The company is best known for its New Shepard suborbital spacecraft used for space tourism, and it is also working on the New Glenn orbital rocket and the Blue Moon lunar lander.
