Blue Origin’s next space tourism flight is scheduled to take off next week from a spaceport in West Texas.
One of the six passengers is Gary Lai, an architect at the company who spent 18 years designing the New Shepard system, the rocket and capsule used for the launches.
He replaced comedian Pete Davidson, who was invited as an honorary guest but withdrew his participation less than a week before the flight without explanation.
The launch was then postponed from March 23 to March 29.
“Blue Origin's 20th flight of New Shepard has shifted to Tuesday, March 29. Pete Davidson is no longer able to join the NS-20 crew on this mission,” Blue Origin tweeted last week.
The space tourism company has launched 14 people on three New Shepard flights since 2021. They include company owner Jeff Bezos and Star Trek actor William Shatner.
The suborbital flight involves a vertical launch that takes passengers about 106 kilometres above the ground, bringing a few minutes of weightlessness.
It is a 10-minute trip from lift-off near the rural West Texas town of Van Horn to a parachute landing.
Meet the crew
The five other passengers include entrepreneurs, the owner of a non-profit organisation, and a former engineer.
Sharon Hagle founded SpaceKids Global in 2015, a non-profit that helps pupils excel in science, tech, engineering, arts and maths, especially girls.
Marty Allen was the chief executive of Party America, a nationwide retailer. He is also the former chief executive of California Closet Company.
Another passenger is Marc Hagle, the president and chief executive of Tricor International, a residential and commercial property development corporation.
Jim Kitchen is a teacher and entrepreneur who has visited all 193 United Nations-recognised countries.
Dr George Nield is the president of Commercial Space Technologies, an organisation that facilitates and promotes commercial space activities. He also served as the manager of the flight integration office for Nasa’s Space Shuttle Programme.
How can I watch the launch?
The launch will take place at 5.30pm UAE time and will be streamed live on Blue Origin’s website. Coverage will begin an hour before lift-off.
Each passenger will carry a postcard written by school pupils.
The initiative is part of Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, which is aimed at inspiring generations to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.
Blue Origin launch: in pictures
