Overview
- ESA engineer Michaela Benthaus and former SpaceX engineer Hans Königsmann were confirmed for the six-person suborbital mission.
- Blue Origin has not provided a launch date or disclosed ticket prices.
- The New Shepard flight is expected to last about 10 minutes, reach roughly 100 kilometers in altitude, and launch from Van Horn, Texas with largely automated operations.
- Benthaus, who is paralyzed after a mountain-bike accident, says she would be the first wheelchair user to fly on a suborbital mission.
- Blue Origin reports about a dozen crewed flights since 2021 with roughly 80 people carried, placing its tourism program in ongoing competition with SpaceX.