Kent-based Blue Origin on May 31 successfully completed its 12th human spaceflight and the 32nd flight for the New Shepard program.
The crew included Aymette Medina Jorge, K-12 STEM teacher; Dr. Gretchen Green, radiologist turned explorer; Jaime Alemán, former Panamanian ambassador to the United States; Jesse Williams, businessman; Mark Rocket, aerospace executive; and Paul Jeris, entrepreneur.
New Shepard has flown 64 people into space—including four who have flown twice—among them scientific researchers, educators, physicians, explorers and entrepreneurs, according to Blue Origin.
“We thank our customers for trusting us to give them the opportunity to appreciate Earth’s fragility from above, an experience that truly transforms those who embark on it,” said Phil Joyce, senior vice president of New Shepard, in a Blue Origin email. “We look forward to seeing what our remarkable crew will do with this experience. I am proud of our team’s dedication in making these moments possible.”
The flight goes above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. The flight lasts about 10 minutes traveling approximately 62 miles into space and reaching speeds of up t0 2,238 mph.
Blue Origin, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, opened in Kent in 2000.
Blue Origin charges people to fly into space, but does not reveal the prices. Some people receive sponsored flights. A refundable deposit of $150,000 is required to start the process to book a flight, according to the company’s website.
Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, New Shepard is Blue Origin’s fully reusable, autonomous suborbital rocket system built to fly humans and scientific payloads to space. The rocket is powered by one BE-3PM engine, which is fueled by a highly efficient and clean combination of liquid hydrogen and oxygen. During flight, the only byproduct of New Shepard’s engine combustion is water vapor, with no carbon emissions, according to Blue Origin.
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