Blue Origin’s New Shepard Soars on 12th Manned Space Flight

Blue Origin’s New Shepard Completes Another Successful Space Tourist Flight

On May 31, Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket successfully completed its 12th manned suborbital flight as part of its ongoing space tourism program. This mission marks the 32nd launch of the New Shepard program, showcasing the burgeoning industry of commercial space travel.

Mission Highlights

The NS-32 mission took off from the private Launch Site One in Texas at 08:39 CDT (16:39 MSK). Lasting a total of 10 minutes and 7 seconds, the flight reached a peak altitude of 105 km above mean sea level, crossing the Kármán line—the internationally recognized boundary of space at 100 km. The capsule safely landed back on Earth using a parachute system.

Diverse Crew on Board

The flight featured a varied group of six space tourists, including K-12 STEM educator Aymette Medina Jorge, sponsored by Mexican medical company Farmacias Similares, and radiologist and entrepreneur Gretchen Green. Other notable crew members included former Panama ambassador to the US, Jaime Alemán, Canadian businessman Jesse Williams, New Zealand entrepreneur and CEO of Kea Aerospace Mark Rocket, and American developer Paul Jeris.

In addition to the human crew, the mission carried over 1,000 postcards submitted by students through an educational initiative by Blue Origin’s nonprofit, Club for the Future.

Expanding Horizons

This mission marks the fourth New Shepard launch of the year, with three including humans onboard. To date, Blue Origin has sent 64 individuals to the edge of space, four of whom have experienced the journey more than once. Each seat aboard a New Shepard flight is valued at approximately half a million USD.

With continued success, Blue Origin is cementing its role as a leader in the commercial spaceflight sector, offering thrilling experiences to new space explorers and creating opportunities for educational outreach and global engagement.