Blue Origin launched its latest suborbital spaceflight mission today (Nov. 22), carrying six passengers aboard the New Shepard spacecraft from its Launch Site One in West Texas. The mission, designated NS-28, highlighted the growing accessibility of commercial space travel and featured a mix of repeat flyers and new passengers, including a notable science communicator.
Credit: Blue Origin
The New Shepard vehicle lifted off on schedule at 10:30 a.m. Eastern, marking a smooth departure without the countdown delays that have occasionally occurred in past missions. The flight lasted approximately 10 minutes, with the capsule, R.S.S. First Step, making its 11th flight. The booster successfully landed two and a half minutes before the capsule, completing its 12th mission and further demonstrating Blue Origin's reusable spaceflight technology.
The Crew of NS-28
The NS-28 mission included a diverse crew:
Marc and Sharon Hagle, a husband-and-wife duo who previously flew on the NS-20 mission in March 2022, returned for another journey into space.
Emily Calandrelli, an author, television show host, and science communicator, joined the flight, marking her as the 100th woman to travel to space by some measures. This milestone considers suborbital flights that exceed 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) in altitude, the U.S. government threshold for astronaut wings, but does not include those that fall short of the 100-kilometer Kármán Line used by Blue Origin as the boundary of space. Blue Origin did not address this distinction during its webcast.
Credit: Blue Origin
Austin Litteral, a risk management professional, won his seat through a contest held by an online shopping platform.
James (J.D.) Russell, a technology entrepreneur, and Henry (Hank) Wolfond, chairman and CEO of Canadian investment firm Bayshore Capital, rounded out the crew.
This mission marks the ninth crewed flight by New Shepard and the third crewed launch of 2024. It follows closely on the heels of the NS-27 mission, an uncrewed test flight on Oct. 23. That mission debuted a new crew capsule and booster designed to expand the spacecraft’s capacity and meet increasing customer demand.
Blue Origin continues to solidify its position in the burgeoning space tourism industry, offering customers a brief but exhilarating experience of weightlessness and a view of Earth from the edge of space. As demand for commercial space travel grows, the company’s regular launches demonstrate its commitment to accessibility and innovation in spaceflight.
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