Indian astronaut’s grandfather ‘overwhelmed with joy’

This astronaut is flying to space with Richard Branson

Virgin Galactic's Sirisha Bandla

will become the second Indian-born woman to visit space

Courtesy: Virgin Galactic

Her grandfather says she has always been fascinated by space

Location: Guntur, India

(SOUNDBITE) (English) GRANDFATHER OF SIRISHA BANDLA, DR. RAGAIAH BANDLA, SAYING:

"I am very happy and overwhelmed with joy. My second granddaughter, she is going to the space."

"From the beginning, I didn't know she was very much fascinated by sky, looking at the sky, space, how to enter the space and what is there and all that. With this, she did her graduation also in the space studies."

Virgin Galactic's test flight with billionaire Richard Branson aboard

marks a new era of private commercial space travel

It's scheduled to launch on July 11