Blue Origin Celebrates Successful Launch After Two Years

Jeff Bezos' space company, Blue Origin, launched a six-person crew to the edge of space from West Texas on Sunday, May 19. This launch marked the resumption of the company's space tourism business, which had been on hold since its suborbital New Shepard rocket was grounded in 2022. Among the crew was Ed Dwight, the first U.S. Black astronaut candidate from the 1960s, who, at the age of 90 years and eight months, became the oldest person in space.

"I am ecstatic," Dwight said upon landing, celebrating his historic flight. Dwight, along with the other passengers, was seated in a gumdrop-shaped capsule atop the rocket. The launch took place at Blue Origin's facilities near Van Horn, a remote desert town. The rocket separated from the capsule, which ascended beyond Earth's atmosphere to an altitude of 105.7 kilometers. Meanwhile, the booster returned to land as planned.

The capsule then descended back to Earth under parachutes, concluding a mission that lasted approximately 10 minutes. Notably, one of the capsule's three parachutes did not fully inflate, which could attract scrutiny before the next flight. Upon landing, Dwight stepped out of the capsule and celebrated by thrusting his fists into the air.

Ed Dwight was originally selected by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to train as an astronaut but had never flown to space until this mission. With this flight, Blue Origin has now flown 37 private astronauts, including "Star Trek" star William Shatner, who flew in 2021 at the age of 90 years and six months.

The crew included a venture capitalist and a pilot, who were paying customers of Blue Origin's space tourism business. Dwight's seat, however, was sponsored by a space-focused nonprofit and a private foundation. Blue Origin has not disclosed the cost of tickets for its customers.