Baalveer Returns actor Dev on how he became part of eight-member crew for SpaceX’s first civilian mission to moon next year
Dev Joshi
This is nothing less than a superpower,” gushes Dev Joshi, at the start of our conversation. Those who’ve watched the Baalveer franchise will recognise Joshi as the titular space superhero of the fantasy series. But a fortnight ago, the TV actor caught everyone’s attention in India when he became among the eight people selected for the first civilian mission to the moon on board Elon Musk-founded SpaceX’s spaceship. His name was announced by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who, in 2018, had purchased all the seats aboard the rocket.
So, how did he become a part of the dream crew? “I was shooting for Baalveer in March 2021 when I came across the dearMoon project. It was an online competition [where] we had to make an introductory video. After that, there were interviews on Zoom, assessments, and a meeting with Mr Maezawa. They got about 10 lakh applications from 249 countries,” he shares.
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He will be joined by DJ Steve Aoki, filmmaker Brendan Hall and YouTuber Tim Dodd from the US, Czech artist Yemi AD, British photographer Karim Iliya, Irish photographer Rhiannon Adam, and K-pop star TOP, for the week-long journey. “It will be a trip on a circumlunar trajectory around the moon aboard the Starship Rocket. As explained by Elon Musk, we are [trying to see] if we can leave the moon’s orbit and go farther away.” The schedule for the 2023 trip has yet to be finalised.
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