Blue Origin’s rocket successfully carried passengers to the edge of space for the first time in nearly two years. The New Shepard rocket and passenger capsule took off from the company’s facility in West Texas on May 19th, marking Blue Origin’s 7th manned flight.
The flight, known as NS-25, was a historic moment for the company, as one of the passengers, Ed Dwight, made history by becoming the oldest person to fly to the edge of space at the age of 90. Despite his previous training and nomination by the US Air Force, Dwight did not ultimately become a NASA astronaut.
The crew experienced moments of weightlessness and had the opportunity to view the Earth through the cabin window as they crossed the Kármán line at an altitude of 100 km above the Earth’s surface. The successful mission was a result of necessary modifications made to the rocket’s design and operating parameters following a technical issue encountered during a mission in September 2022. These changes, along with a successful unmanned science mission in December 2023, allowed Blue Origin to resume flights to the edge of space. Prior to this incident in 2022, the New Shepard rocket had completed 22 consecutive successful missions, including 6 passenger flights.
