Blue Origin marks milestone with 12th human flight, total spacefliers reach 64

Blue Origin has successfully completed its 12th human spaceflight and 32nd overall New Shepard mission, bringing the total number of people flown aboard the rocket to 64.

The crew consisted of K-12 STEM educator Aymette Medina Jorge, radiologist-turned-explorer Dr. Gretchen Green, former Panamanian ambassador to the U.S. Jaime Alemán, entrepreneur Jesse Williams, aerospace executive Mark Rocket, and business founder Paul Jeris, Caliber.Az reports, citing Blue Origin’s message.

With this crew included, New Shepard has now carried a total of 64 individuals into space, including four who have flown on two separate occasions, comprising scientists, educators, doctors, explorers, and business leaders.

“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. “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.” 

Named in honor of astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American to travel to space, New Shepard is Blue Origin’s fully reusable, autonomous suborbital rocket designed to carry both humans and scientific instruments into space. It is powered by a single BE-3PM engine that runs on a clean and highly efficient mix of liquid hydrogen and oxygen.

The rocket’s engine produces only water vapor as exhaust, emitting no carbon emissions during flight.   The launch took place from the Corn Ranch launch site near Van Horn in western Texas. The flight lasted approximately 10 minutes.

By Naila Huseynova