Van Horn, Texas – Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, is gearing up to launch a crew of private astronauts on a suborbital space journey. This marks the revival of the company’s space tourism program on its New Shepard rocket after a hiatus of nearly two years.
The upcoming NS-25 mission is scheduled to take off from Launch Site One in West Texas on Sunday, with a launch window opening at 9:30 a.m. ET. The mission will include a six-person crew, notably featuring 90-year-old Ed Dwight, who was chosen as the first Black astronaut candidate back in 1961 but never had the opportunity to travel to space. Blue Origin will live-stream the launch on its website for viewers to witness the historic event.
The decision to halt the suborbital tourism program came after a critical liftoff malfunction of the New Shepard rocket in September 2022. The rocket’s previous flight ended abruptly in flames just a minute after liftoff, resulting in an explosion of the booster mid-flight and the capsule detaching at high speeds and altitudes. This incident led to the grounding of the rocket by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which subsequently conducted an investigation into the mishap.
Following an extensive review, Blue Origin identified a “thermo-structural failure of the engine nozzle” as the primary cause of the failed launch. The company attributed the failure to increased temperatures that led to overheating of the booster’s engine nozzle, resulting in thermal damage and hot streaks. As a result, the FAA required Blue Origin to implement 21 corrective actions before approving the rocket for future flights.
Despite the setback, Blue Origin rebounded with a successful uncrewed flight in December 2023, carrying 33 research payloads to suborbital heights. This milestone laid the groundwork for human flights to resume, leading to the upcoming NS-25 mission. The mission is set to be the seventh human flight for New Shepard, showcasing the company’s commitment to advancing space tourism opportunities.
The journey on New Shepard is highly anticipated, with the first seat sold through a global auction in 2021 for a whopping $28 million. Although the exact ticket price remains undisclosed, reports suggest that a seat on the space tourism ride costs approximately $1.25 million. This mission represents a significant milestone for Blue Origin and the future of commercial space travel.