Blue Origin Sends Six More to Space Is This the Future of Travel?

Blue Origin Launches Six to Space in 12th Crewed New Shepard Flight

West Texas lit up once again on May 31st as Blue Origin successfully completed its 12th crewed suborbital flight of the New Shepard vehicle. The NS-32 mission propelled six individuals beyond the Karman line, marking another milestone in the burgeoning space tourism industry and providing a valuable testbed for future space technologies.

The New Shepard lifted off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One at 9:39 a.m. Eastern, reaching an apogee of 105 kilometers. The capsule made a smooth landing approximately 10 minutes later, followed shortly by the booster. This flight brings the total number of people flown by New Shepard to 64, with some passengers experiencing the wonders of space more than once.

Meet the Crew of NS-32:

• Aymette (Amy) Medina Jorge: A teacher from Texas, sponsored by Mexican healthcare giant Farmacias Similares.
• Gretchen Green: A doctor and entrepreneur with a passion for exploration.
• Jaime Alemán: A Panamanian lawyer and former ambassador to the United States, making history as the first Panamanian in space.
• Jesse Williams: A Canadian entrepreneur and adventurer seeking new horizons.
• Mark Rocket: A New Zealand businessman and early investor in Rocket Lab, now holding the distinction of being the first New Zealander to venture into space.
• Paul Jeris: A real estate developer adding 'astronaut' to his impressive resume.

A Business and a Testbed

Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp recently emphasized the dual purpose of the New Shepard program. Speaking at the Humans to the Moon and Mars Summit, Limp stated that New Shepard is not only a viable business venture but also a crucial platform for testing technologies destined for other ambitious projects, such as the New Glenn launch vehicle and the Blue Moon lunar lander.

Key Takeaways from Limp's Statements:

• Demand is High: "There is an insatiable demand out there for human beings who grew up thinking about space and want to get to space, but it’s still very hard to do right now."
• Technology Testing: New Shepard serves as a valuable testbed for avionics and landing systems used in other Blue Origin projects. For instance, the lidar system used in the Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander, scheduled for its inaugural flight this year, undergoes rigorous testing on New Shepard.

This flight marks the fourth New Shepard mission this year, with three carrying human passengers and one dedicated to payload-only experiments simulating lunar gravity. While Blue Origin remains tight-lipped about the precise number of flights planned for the remainder of the year, their commitment to suborbital spaceflight remains unwavering.

A New Era of Space Access

Blue Origin's continued success with New Shepard signifies a pivotal moment in the accessibility of space travel. As more individuals experience the transformative perspective of seeing Earth from above, and as crucial technologies are refined through these suborbital flights, the path towards a future where space is more accessible becomes increasingly clear. The NS-32 mission is not just a flight; it’s a step forward in realizing that ambitious vision.

Tags: Blue Origin, Spaceflight, New Shepard, Suborbital flight, Space tourism, NS-32 mission, Space travel, West Texas, Rocket launch, Space capsule

Source: https://spacenews.com/blue-origin-performs-12th-crewed-new-shepard-suborbital-flight/