Blue Origin conducted its 13th crewed mission to the edge of space on Sunday morning, launching six civilian astronauts, including a married couple, beyond the Karman line and back in just over 10 minutes. The reusable New Shepard booster rocket of the private space program took off from the launch pad tower in the West Texas desert, reaching the internationally recognized boundary of space in about three-and-a-half minutes over a distance of 62 miles. Originally scheduled for June 21, the mission, named NS-33, faced weather-related delays before finally taking place on June 29.
Among the passengers on this flight were environmentalist Allie Kuehner, and her husband Carl Kuehner, chairman of Building and Land Technology. They became the second married couple to embark on a journey to the Karman line with Blue Origin. This marked the third suborbital human spaceflight by the New Shepard program since April 13, which also included an all-female crew featuring singer Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King, and Lauren Sanchez, now married to Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.
Additional space tourists on Sunday’s flight included philanthropist Leland Larson, electrical cable company president Freddie Rescigno Jr., competitive golfer, and attorney Jim Sitkin, as well as attorney and financial consultant Owolabi Salis, the first Nigerian-born person to travel to space. The crew launched from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One near Van Horn, Texas, at approximately 10:38 am ET.
The 10-minute and 33-second flight allowed the civilian crew to experience weightlessness in the capsule before the New Shepard rocket separated and safely returned to Earth, landing on a pad near the launch site. The astronauts then descended back to Earth with the assistance of three large parachutes. This mission marked the 13th human flight for the New Shepard program and the 33rd mission since Blue Origin’s establishment in 2000 by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
According to Blue Origin, humans have flown to space with the company since its inaugural human flight in July 2021. This report includes contributions from ABC News’ Matthew Glasser.
