‘Baal Veer’ actor part of 8-member dearMoon crew

Mumbai: Television actor Dev Joshi has made it to the coveted group of an eight-member crew that will fly to the moon in 2023. As part of the dearMoon team, the 22-year-old will embark on a week-long trip in a SpaceX rocket. The team members for the first civilian mission were cherry-picked from one million entries.

This, for Joshi, the first Indian on such a mission, is akin to reel life manifesting in real life – the actor came into limelight as a superhero in the TV serial ‘Baal Veer’ at 12, where he was shown to travel to space.

“Finally, my dream of going to the moon will come true,” was Joshi’s spontaneous reaction when he learnt about the future voyage. “I am proud to represent my country on such a global scale.”

The dearMoon enterprise is a mix of a lunar tourism mission and an art project, conceived and financed by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. It will use Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship on a private spaceflight flying a single circumlunar trajectory around the moon.

Joshi first heard about it while shooting for ‘Baal Veer Returns’ and wasted no time in registering for it. “I have been fascinated by space since I was a child and used to read a lot on the subject. When I learnt about the dearMoon project, I jumped at the chance to apply,” said Joshi. “Besides, the moon has a special significance in India – widely referenced in songs and religious motifs. Scientists are attracted to the moon, but as artistes, we will fulfill this mission.”

Joshi’s acting career took off at the age of three and since then he has appeared in several Gujarati films, ad films, television shows and music videos.

The first lot of selections from the one million applications received from 249 countries were done in 2021. “They wanted to include a group of artistes from various fields for the mission,” said Joshi.

Many online meetings and tests were conducted in the initial phase, a rigorous medical test being one of them. “It was a difficult process, but the mentor made it easy. Finally, we got the chance to meet Maezawa at secrete location, which we are not allowed to disclose. It was an unforgettable experience,” said Joshi.

After earning his BA degree in political science from Gujarat University, he is now pursuing further education in Switzerland. “This mission is bound to be a success, as it is backed by two rich and ambitious people — SpaceX CEO Musk and Maezawa,” he added.