Blue Origin marked a major milestone on Saturday as it successfully launched six space tourists aboard its New Shepard suborbital launch vehicle, including the 750th person in history to travel to space.
The NS-33 mission lifted off at 9:39 a.m. CDT from Launch Site One in West Texas.
Who Flew on New Shepard?
On board were:
- Allie and Carl Kuehner (husband and wife)
- Leland Larson
- Freddie Rescigno, Jr.
- Owolabi Salis
- James Sitkin
Carl Kuehner became Blue Origin’s 70th astronaut (as designated by his seat assignment) and earned a special distinction as the 750th human ever to reach space, according to the Association of Space Explorers’ Registry of Space Travelers.
A 10-Minute Journey Beyond Earth
The 10-minute mission went smoothly:
- The propulsion module (Tail 5) executed a flawless vertical landing.
- The crew capsule, RSS Kármán Line, returned safely via parachutes and air thrusters.
- At its peak, the capsule reached 345,044 feet (105.2 km), surpassing the Kármán Line, the 100 km boundary widely recognized as the edge of space.
For about three minutes, the passengers floated weightless and gazed at Earth’s curvature against the black backdrop of space.
Postcards and Outreach
Joining the human passengers were over 1,000 postcards created by students and the public:
- Collected by The Museum of Flight in Seattle and Parkcrest Elementary in British Columbia, Canada.
- Part of Club For the Future, Blue Origin’s nonprofit initiative to inspire young people about space exploration.
A Continuing Era of Space Tourism
This Blue Origin flight, designated NS-33, was Blue Origin’s 33rd New Shepard mission overall.
With every successful launch, the company continues to expand commercial space travel, giving ordinary people the chance to experience the wonder of space firsthand.
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