Blue Origin successfully sends a New Zealander and five other passengers to our site aboard the New Shepard in its latest suborbital journey (video)
Three individuals, two Space Camp alumni, and an executive from a leading aerospace website embarked on a historic journey today (May 31), becoming the latest six people to fly with Blue Origin. The spaceflight company, founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, transported Mark Rocket, Jaime Alemán, Jesse Williams, Paul Jeris, Gretchen Green, and Amy Medina Jorge into space and back on board the RSS First Step, Blue Origin's first human-rated New Shepard capsule.
The six-person crew (referred to as "The Pathfinders") spent about three minutes experiencing weightlessness and gazing upon a unique astronaut's-eye view of our planet before returning to Earth. Gretchen Green, an experienced radiologist who has a connection to Space Camp, expressed her marvel at the sight, calling it "perfection."
Once the New Shepard launch vehicle lifted off at 8:39 a.m. CDT (9:39 a.m. EDT or 1339 GMT) from Blue Origin's Launch Site One near Van Horn in West Texas, its reusable capsule and propulsion module separated approximately two and a half minutes into the flight. The capsule continued its ascent into space while the booster returned to Earth for a vertical landing on a concrete pad.
The New Shepard capsule reached an apogee, or maximum altitude, of 340,290 feet (104 km), qualifying Rocket, Alemán, Williams, Jeris, Green, and Jorge for Blue Origin-issued astronaut wings and entry into the Association of Space Explorers' Registry of Worldwide Space Travelers. After descending back to Earth, the capsule touched down gently using parachutes and a last-second jet of compressed air about 10 minutes after liftoff.
Mark Rocket, the CEO of Kea Aerospace, became the first New Zealander to reach space on this mission. His lifelong ties to the aerospace industry extend beyond his fitting name; he previously helped lead Rocket Lab, a competing space launch company that sends most of its rockets from New Zealand.
Jaime Alemán, an attorney from Panama, has visited all 193 United Nations-recognized countries, traveled to both of Earth's poles, and now has journeyed into space. After returning to Earth, Alemán shared, "It was a moving, spiritual, and even better experience than I ever imagined."
Jesse Williams, a Canadian entrepreneur, successfully completed the mission, further extending his record of achieving high altitudes, having previously summited Mount Everest and five other of the world's highest mountains. Paul Jeris, who grew up watching rockets launch from Florida, finally had his chance to journey into space after visiting more than 149 countries.
Gretchen Green and Amy Medina Jorge were joined in their journey by a launch viewing party at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, home to U.S. Space Camp. Green, who has been both an attendee and a counselor at Space Camp and serves on the education foundation board, managed a team of students who previously conducted experiments aboard a parabolic flight. Medina Jorge, a middle and high school teacher in Galveston, Texas, has brought students to Space Camp and attended Space Academy for Educators.
With the NS-32 launch, Blue Origin achieved its 12th human spaceflight since 2021, bringing the total passenger count to 64. This marks the first launch since Bezos' fiancé Lauren Sanchez flew on an all-woman crew that included pop star Katy Perry and TV morning show host Gayle King in April.
- As a result of the historic spaceflight, Gretchen Green, an education foundation board member and Space Camp alumna, now holds Blue Origin-issued astronaut wings, adding space travel to her extensive history of aerospace-related activities.
- The spaceflight mission involving Jaime Alemán, a Panamanian attorney, represents another milestone in his extensive travel history, having previously visited all 193 United Nations-recognized countries, traveled to both Poles, and now journeyed into space.
- The technology utilized by Blue Origin, such as the reusable New Shepard launch vehicle, has captured the attention of those in the tech industry, as demonstrated by Jesse Williams, a Canadian entrepreneur who previously summited Mount Everest and completed the spaceflight mission, further extending his records in both travel and science.
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