Blue Origin finally launches its 4th commercial spaceflight after delays
Blue Origin finally launches its 4th commercial spaceflight after delays – the first space ride with no big names on board after comedian Pete Davidson pulled out
Blue Origin have made four suborbital flights using the New Shepard rocketThey spend 11 minutes off the ground, including a short weightless windowThis latest spaceflight was due to take Saturday Night Live’s Pete DavidsonScheduling conflicts caused him to pull out when the date was changedA group of five entrepreneurs were joined by the designed of New Shepard
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
(function (src, d, tag){
var s = d.createElement(tag), prev = d.getElementsByTagName(tag)[0];
s.src = src;
prev.parentNode.insertBefore(s, prev);
}(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/1.17.0/async_bundle- -.js”, document, “script”));
<!–
DM.loadCSS(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/gunther-2159/video_bundle- -.css”);
<!–
The latest launch to the edge of space for Blue Origin‘s New Shepard rocket has finally gone ahead, after a number of delays earlier in the week.
It was scheduled to launch March 23 with a crew of six, including comedian Pete Davidson, but had to be pushed back, causing Davidson to withdraw from the flight.
Party America CEO Marty Allen, married couple Sharon and Marc Hagle, entrepreneur Jim Kitchen, Dr. George Nield from Commercial Space Technologies, and Blue Origin’s Gary Lai made up the final six who rocketed to the edge of space.
New Shepard launched just before 9:00 a.m. ET (2:30 p.m. BST) from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One spaceport in the West Texas town of Van Horn.
The latest launch to the edge of space for Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket has finally gone ahead, after a number of delays earlier in the week
It was scheduled to launch March 23 with a crew of six, including comedian Pete Davidson, but had to be pushed back, causing Davidson to withdraw from the flight
Unlike Blue Origin’s first three crewed flights, which featured passenger rosters including ‘Star Trek’ actor William Shatner, morning TV host Michael Strahan and Bezos himself, nobody on Thursday’s flight was particularly famous.
‘Saturday Night Live’ comic Pete Davidson had been confirmed as a non-paying promotional guest on the latest flight, taking the spot previously occupied by aviation pioneer Wally Funk, Shatner and Strahan.
But he dropped out earlier this month when the planned launch was postponed from its original March 23 date to allow time for additional pre-flight tests.
Days later the company announced that Davidson, 28, the boyfriend of reality TV star Kim Kardashian, had been replaced on the latest ‘crew’ manifest by veteran Blue Origin designer Gary Lai, architect of the New Shepard reusable launch system.
Veteran Blue Origin designer Gary Lai, architect of the New Shepard reusable launch system, poses with angel investor Marty Allen, real estate veteran Marc Hagle and his wife Sharon Hagle, entrepreneur and University of North Carolina professor Jim Kitchen and George Nield, founder-president of Commercial Space Technologies
New Shepard launched just before 09:00 ET (14:30 BST) from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One spaceport in the West Texas town of Van Horn
Lai flew for free, going up in the rocket he helped design, as a representative of the company he works for – rather than a paying passenger.
He joined five previously announced paying customers – angel investor Marty Allen, real estate veteran Marc Hagle and his wife Sharon Hagle, entrepreneur and University of North Carolina professor Jim Kitchen and George Nield, founder and president of Commercial Space Technologies.
Five of the customers, not including Lai, paid an undisclosed amount for the chance to fly 62 miles above the Earth, and experience a few minutes of weightlessness.
‘I felt my skin pulling taut,’ Lai said, of the ride on the rocket he helped create.
Lai’s inclusion came after comedian Pete Davidson, the boyfriend of reality star Kim Kardashian, canceled his participation without disclosing a reason.
After launch, the reusable, zero greenhouse gas emissions rocket landed vertically at a pad, while the capsule continued soaring, crossing the Karman line that marks the start of space by some definitions. Others put the edge at 50 miles.
Five of the customers, not including Lai, paid an undisclosed amount for the chance to fly 62 miles above the Earth, and experience a few minutes of weightlessness
After launch, the reusable, zero greenhouse gas emissions rocket landed vertically at a pad, while the capsule continued soaring, crossing the Karman line that marks the start of space by some definitions. Others put the edge at 50 miles
Passengers unbuckled and enjoyed a few minutes of weightlessness, taking in the majesty of Earth before the capsule re-entered the atmosphere, deployed its chutes and floated to the surface for a gentle desert landing.
Blue Origin was founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who travelled to the edge of space on the first crewed flight of the New Shepard on July 20.
He was joined by brother Mark, Oliver Daemen, 18, the youngest person ever to fly to space, and aviation pioneer Wally Funk, 82, at the time the oldest person in space.
Since that inaugural flight, Blue Origin have sent New Shepard on its 11 minute hop to the edge of space a total of four times – including taking Star Trek actor, William Shatner, to space – making him the oldest space travel at 90.
Passengers unbuckled and enjoyed a few minutes of weightlessness, taking in the majesty of Earth before the capsule re-entered the atmosphere, deployed its chutes and floated to the surface for a gentle desert landing
Blue Origin was founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who travelled to the edge of space on the first crewed flight of the New Shepard on July 20
After years of promise, the space tourism sector is finally taking off, with Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic the main suborbital players, and SpaceX the only orbital launch.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is targeting next week to fly three tycoons and a former NASA astronaut to the International Space Station on the Axiom-1 mission.
It is thought each seat, including a ten day stay on the ISS, cost $55 million, although the crew insist they’re doing serious research work rather than going on vacation.
There is also a move to build commercial space stations, likely to include tourism elements, as NASA winds down involvement int he ISS over the next decade.
