Blue Origin Breaks Two-Year Space Flight Drought with Historic Manned Test Mission

Blue Origin recently carried passengers to the edge of space for the first time in nearly two years, following a failed unmanned test flight that suspended operations. The New Shepard rocket and passenger capsule took off from Blue Origin’s facility in West Texas on May 19th at 9:36 p.m. local time.

This marked the 7th manned flight by Blue Origin, with six passengers on board including diverse professionals such as venture capitalist Mason Angel and founder Sylvain Chiron. Among the passengers was Ed Dwight, a retired US Air Force commander who was once considered to be America’s first black astronaut. Despite not ultimately becoming a NASA astronaut, Dwight, now 90, became the oldest person to reach the edge of space during the Blue Origin flight.

During the flight, passengers experienced moments of weightlessness and were able to view Earth through the cabin window as they traveled at speeds exceeding 3,218 km/h. The rocket took them across the Kármán line at an altitude of 100 km above the Earth’s surface, officially entering space.

Following a technical issue in September 2022, Blue Origin made necessary adjustments to the design of the rocket engine to ensure safe future flights. These changes, coupled with a successful unmanned science mission in December 2023, allowed the company to resume flights to the edge of space. Prior to the incident, the New Shepard had completed 22 consecutive successful missions, highlighting Blue Origin’s commitment to safe and successful space travel.