West Texas, 3 Aug

Arvinder ‘Arvi’ Singh Bahal, an 80-year-old real estate investor and globetrotter born in Agra, is all set to soar to the edge of space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard flight NS-34 on 3 August. A naturalised US citizen, Bahal has travelled to all 196 countries and both poles, skydived above Mount Everest, and explored wonders like the Pyramids of Giza.

Bahal’s journey began in Agra in 1945, growing up near the Taj Mahal. A devout Sikh, he nearly joined the Indian Army but exited the NDA. He worked on a Scottish tea plantation in Darjeeling and later entered garment manufacturing near Delhi. In 1975, he moved to the US with just $108 and became a citizen by the late ’70s. He now heads Bahal Properties in Massachusetts.

His love for travel led him into real estate — a business that gave him both time and money to pursue adventures. With over a million travel photographs and a book titled ‘The Tireless Traveler', Bahal continues to document his journeys. He has visited Pakistan’s Sikh shrines, Mongolia’s eagle festival, and historical sites in Afghanistan.

Though he once signed up with Virgin Galactic, his dream of spaceflight remained on hold. Now, he’s finally set to fly with Blue Origin alongside five others from Turkey, Puerto Rico, the UK, and Grenada. The flight will launch from West Texas and briefly cross the Kármán line — the boundary of space.

This will be Blue Origin’s 14th human flight. In April this year, popstar Katy Perry, Lauren Sánchez and four other women were part of a similar Blue Origin mission, which lasted around 11 minutes.