'Went to space in reel life, will now do so in real life,' says actor Dev Joshi who is part of SpaceX dearMoon crew

As an actor playing the titular and eponymous role in the fantasy TV series Baal Veer, Dev Joshi has been to space several times in reel life.

Now he is all set to do that in real life too.

Joshi is among the eight crew members who have been selected for SpaceX dearMoon mission which comprises participants from across the globe.

The 22-year-old actor is the only Indian and millennial who is part of the mission which is scheduled for 2023.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX announced the lunar tourism project in 2018. The same year Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa bought all the tickets for the mission and in 2021 he launched an online contest to select eight members to join him in the “world’s first civilian moon mission.”

This is where Joshi’s journey to go to the moon began.

In an exclusive conversation, Joshi told Firstpost he came across the online contest while shooting for Baal Veer in 2021 and his interest in space motivated him to participate.

“I came across the contest online and became intrigued. I went on to apply following which I had to sit for many interviews, and meetings and had to also undergo medical tests. And one and a half years after the process started, I have been selected as a crew member,” Joshi said.

#FPExclusive | 'The selection process took one & a half years. I sat for many interviews and also underwent medical tests,' actor @devjoshi10 who has been selected for SpaceX dearMoon mission tells @AnnuKaushik253 #ElonMusk #YusakuMaezawa

Full story- https://t.co/F6YhT0cXGg pic.twitter.com/WQAbYlruZ2

— Firstpost (@firstpost) December 15, 2022

The actor added that his fascination for space stems from his childhood when he used to read stories about Chanda Mama.

“The moon and the stars have always amazed me with their beauty,” he said.

“As an actor in Baal Veer, people have seen me flying in space on TV. Somewhere, I had this thought that will I ever get a chance to do this in real life?”

Joshi feels that the fact that he remained genuine and did get scared of the selection process worked in his favour.

As for being the only Indian on the mission, Joshi says that it’s both a matter of pride and responsibility. Born in 2000, Joshi is also the mission’s youngest and the only millennial crew member.

#FPExclusive | 'It's both a responsibility & a matter of pride to represent India on such an important mission,' actor @devjoshi10 who has been selected for SpaceX dearMoon project tells @AnnuKaushik253 @dearmoonproject

Full story- https://t.co/F6YhT0cXGg pic.twitter.com/Qt35Il1xVx

— Firstpost (@firstpost) December 15, 2022

Others joining Yusaku Maezawa and Joshi on the mission are K-pop star TOP, American DJ Steve Aoki, American YouTuber Tim Dodd and filmmaker Brendan Hall, Czech choreographer Yemi A.D., Irish photographer Rhiannon Adam and British photographer Karim Iliya.

月旅行のクルーが決まりました！
Crew for Moon Trip Selected!!#dearMoonCrew @dearmoonproject https://t.co/Fle1vbPplD

— 前澤友作 (@yousuck2020) December 8, 2022

Apart from them, American snowboarder Kaitlyn Farrington and Japanese dancer Miya have been selected as backup crew members.

Watch the full interview here

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