Sirisha Bandla viewing earth from above during Virgin Galactic’s Unity 22 spaceflight on July 11, 2021.
Today, the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program (MIFP) proudly cheered on Sirisha Bandla as she earned her astronaut wings on Virgin Galactic’s Unity 22 Mission! Sirisha has been part of the MIFP’s leadership team since the program was founded in 2017 to help inspire the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders.
Virgin Galactic’s Unity 22 crew.
As Virgin Galactic’s Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations, Sirisha flew to space alongside the company’s founder Sir Richard Branson, Chief Astronaut Instructor Beth Moses, and Lead Flight Operations Engineer Colin Bennett. Their spacecraft was piloted by Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci, with C.J. Sturckow and Kelly Latimer piloting the carrier ship, VMS Eve.
During the July 11th flight, Sirisha evaluated the human-tended research experience. She conducted a NASA-supported experiment from the University of Florida that entailed activating “three plant-filled tubes to release a preservative at critical data-collection stages during the flight: at 1 g before the rocket boost, just before entering microgravity, and after the conclusion of microgravity.”
In the post-flight press conference, Sirisha shared a small memento she took with her to space in honor of Matthew and his contributions to commercial space:
“I brought a pin that was designed and made by Matthew Isakowitz. He worked at the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, and was really an advocate for commercial spaceflight industry getting off the ground. He unfortunately passed away a few years ago and we started a fellowship in his honor for students to get into the commercial space industry and just get excited and contribute. So I brought a pin up which I will gift to his family.”
Sirisha moderating a panel discussion for the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program.
Prior to joining Virgin Galactic, Sirisha had worked at the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, where she met Matthew and became his successor as the organization’s Associate Director. In an interview with the American Astronautical Society, she shared, “After college, I ended up interviewing for a space policy job in DC at the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. I got that job and my predecessor, who basically gave me a crash course on what space policy is, was Matthew Isakowitz. Matthew was the first person to really bring me into the space policy community. Prior to that, I didn’t have a real appreciation for the role policy plays in a lot of our decisions and programs…Matthew always had a rare, great understanding of policy, business, and engineering.”
While Sirisha was up in space, the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship community was cheering her on back on earth! Current and alumni Fellows gathered virtually to watch Virgin Galactic’s livestream of Sirisha’s mission.
Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship virtual watch party of the Virgin Galactic launch on July 11, 2021.
Want to hear more about Sirisha, her incredible work as part of the MIFP Team, and her advice for pursuing your own aerospace career? Check out her interview with MIFP alum Shayna Hume as part of our “Navigating NewSpace” video series, available on YouTube here.
Congratulations to astronaut Sirisha Bandla, MIFP host company Virgin Galactic, and all involved in today’s mission.
Sirisha experiencing zero gravity!
The post-spaceflight celebration featuring Sirisha, Richard Branson, Beth Moses, and Colin Bennett.