Blue Origin is set to launch its first passenger space tourism flight since last year’s unmanned rocket explosion.
Six people are scheduled to be on board the May 19 flight from West Texas, including the controversial 90-year-old Black American astronaut candidate who was not selected for a NASA spaceflight. ) is also included.
Ed Dwight’s seat on the New Shepard flight is sponsored by Space for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that aims to “democratize” space.
The remaining passengers will reportedly pay for their seats, with tickets costing up to $1.25 million per person.
Blue Origin, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, said in a statement: “Blue Origin announced today that its seventh manned flight, the NS-25, will arrive at Launch Site 1 in West Texas on Sunday, May 19th. announced that it would take off from.”
The launch slot will open at 1:30pm UTC (5:30pm UAE time) and Blue Origin will broadcast the flight live on its website and social media channels.
In September, the NS-23 mission, which carried only a payload and no passengers, exploded after an engine nozzle failure caused the rocket to overheat.
Unmanned Blue Origin rocket crashes
However, the crew capsule escape system functioned successfully and returned the payload to the ground with a parachute-assisted landing.
Flights were grounded for several months. A cargo-only flight launched in December.
Before the incident, the company had carried 31 passengers, including Bezos, on space tourism flights since it began commercial operations in 2021.
The space sightseeing flight experience lasts 10 minutes.
Once the spacecraft separates from its booster, it will rise to 106 kilometers above the ground.
Reusable boosters land at the launch site.
The capsule then descends into the Texas desert under three parachutes and a retro engine, returning the passengers to Earth.
meet the passengers
Passengers aboard the Blue Origin space tourism flight on May 19.Photo: Blue Origin
Dwight was selected by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to train in the U.S. Air Force’s Elite Flight Training Program, which was then a pathway to membership in NASA’s astronaut corps.
He was given a letter from the president offering him the opportunity to become the first black astronaut.
Despite completing the program and being recommended by the Air Force to NASA, he was not selected.
Dwight has said in multiple media interviews that he faced discrimination from colleagues, especially after President Kennedy’s assassination.
He spent the next several years as an entrepreneur, dedicating his life to creating sculptures that tell the story of Black history.
Mr. Dwight has created over 130 public works that have been installed in museums and public spaces across the United States and Canada, including large-scale monuments to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Dr. Fredrick Douglas.
NASA’s early years were marked by significant discrimination, reflecting the broader social issues of the time.
Despite these challenges, many people from marginalized groups have overcome great obstacles to make valuable contributions to the space program.
Guion Bruford became the first black American to fly into space in 1983, 25 years after NASA was founded.
Mason Angell is the founder of Industrious Ventures, a venture capital fund that backs startups focused on the industrial revolution.
Sylvain Chiron is the founder of Brasserie Mont Blanc, one of France’s largest craft breweries.
He received his pilot’s license at the age of 16 and later in life served compulsory service in the French army, serving as a ski instructor for the French Air Force and NATO pilots.
Kenneth L Hess is a software engineer and entrepreneur who developed the Family Tree Maker product line in the 1990s.
In 2001, he founded Science Buddies, a nonprofit organization focused on improving Stem literacy and space exploration.
Carol Schaller is a former accountant and adventurer who has visited Mount Everest’s base camp, trekked to Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to see mountain gorillas, visited the South Pole, and lived in the desolate Antarctic at minus 20 degrees Celsius. I once went camping in a tent on the plains.
Gopi Thotakura is the co-founder of Preserve Lift Corp, a global center for holistic and applied health.
He is a commercial jet pilot who also flies aerobatics, seaplanes, gliders and hot air balloons.
Updated: May 15, 2024, 9:55 a.m.
