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Sirisha Bandla Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 15, 2026 • 3 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth1987

Age34 (as of 2021)

BirthplaceGuntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India

ProfessionAeronautical Engineer, Astronaut

NationalityAmerican

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyParents: B. Muralidhar and Anuradha; Sister: Pratyusha Bandla

Sirisha Bandla Biography

Sirisha Bandla is an American aeronautical engineer and commercial astronaut of Indian origin. She was part of Virgin Galactic’s first fully crewed suborb​

Early life and background

Sirisha Bandla was born in 1987 in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, India, and grew up in Houston, Texas. She spent much of her childhood around aviation and space; family recollections note she showed interest in flying from a very young age and even traveled alone between India and the United States as a child. Her paternal grandfather worked as a principal scientist and professor, and her maternal grandfather was a chemistry professor. Bandla is fluent in English and Telugu.

Education

Bandla completed undergraduate studies in aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering at Purdue University. She later earned an MBA from The George Washington University. These academic qualifications underpinned her path into aerospace industry roles and government affairs work.

Career

Bandla began her professional career in 2007 at ATA Engineering in a design, test, and analysis role and spent about three years there. In 2011 she worked as a mechanical engineer for L-3 Communications Integrated Systems. She later moved into the policy and commercial side of the space sector, joining the Commercial Spaceflight Federation as an associate director in its space policy department.

In July 2015 Bandla joined Virgin Galactic as a government affairs officer and by 2017 had taken on responsibilities as business development and government affairs manager. She has also held roles with Virgin Orbit, including business development and government affairs management and director of Washington operations. In January 2021 she became Vice President of Government Affairs for the Virgin Group. Alongside her corporate roles, she has served on the boards of the American Astronautical Society and the Future Space Leaders Foundation as of 2021.

Astronaut flight

On July 11, 2021, Bandla flew on Virgin Galactic’s first fully crewed suborbital test flight from New Mexico. The flight carried six people, including British entrepreneur Richard Branson. That mission made Bandla the third woman of Indian origin to travel to space, following earlier Indian-origin women who had flown with other programs. After returning from the flight she described the experience as life-changing and spoke about the dramatic view of Earth and the overall impact of the trip.

Public profile

Bandla has been active in outreach and industry engagement. She has been associated with the Telugu Association of North America and maintains a public presence on social media. She has discussed her excitement about spaceflights publicly in the lead-up to the Virgin Galactic mission. Bandla lives in Washington, D.C. as of 2021, and she keeps a pet cat. Personal details noted in public profiles include that she prefers non-vegetarian food, likes pizza and vanilla ice cream, enjoys travel and adventure sports, and lists golf among her interests.

Family and personal life

Her parents, B. Muralidhar and Anuradha, have worked for the U.S. government. She has a sister, Pratyusha Bandla, who has worked as a biological science technician in the United States. As of 2021 she was unmarried and in a relationship with Sean Hu. She is approximately 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) tall and has black hair and black eyes.

Latest updates

By mid-2021 Bandla had stepped into a visible role within commercial spaceflight, combining operational experience on a suborbital test flight with senior government affairs responsibilities at the Virgin Group. She continued to serve on industry boards and remained engaged in efforts to promote commercial space activities and to inspire future space leaders.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Sirisha Bandla, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

VSS Unity suborbital test flight (Unity 22)

Crew member on Virgin Galactic’s first fully crewed suborbital test flight from New Mexico on July 11, 2021.

2021
Vice President, Government Affairs, Virgin Group

Senior government affairs role within the Virgin Group, appointed in January 2021.

2021
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Career Highlights

  1. Became the third Indian-origin woman to fly into space on Virgin Galactic’s July 11, 2021 fully crewed suborbital test flight
  2. Served as Vice President of Government Affairs for the Virgin Group (appointed January 2021)
  3. Held senior government affairs and business development roles at Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit
  4. Served on the boards of the American Astronautical Society and the Future Space Leaders Foundation (as of 2021)
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Sirisha Bandla born?

Sirisha Bandla was born on 1987.

What is Sirisha Bandla known for?

Sirisha Bandla is known for aeronautical Engineer, Astronaut.

What is Sirisha Bandla’s marital status?

Sirisha Bandla's marital status is listed as Unmarried.