Jeff Bezos Flies to Space on Blue Origin's New Shepard

Blue Origin Achieves First Crewed Spaceflight

Blue Origin successfully executed its inaugural crewed space launch on Tuesday, transporting four individuals beyond Earth’s atmosphere – notably including the company’s founder, Jeff Bezos. This achievement represents the culmination of substantial financial investment, numerous test flights, and competitive dynamics among affluent entrepreneurs. The success of New Shepard, following Virgin Galactic’s recent flight earlier this month, undeniably signals the beginning of a new era in space tourism.

Launch Site and Spectator Excitement

The event unfolded at Launch Site One, Blue Origin’s expansive and discreet facility located approximately thirty miles north of Van Horn, Texas. Accommodation in Van Horn and surrounding areas was fully booked in anticipation of the launch, as observers gathered for the historic occasion. A significant presence of media representatives, both local, national, and online, converged at the Press Site as early as 2:30 AM CST.

Despite initial forecasts suggesting potential rainfall, the skies remained clear, and the schedule was largely maintained.

The Crew and Pre-Flight Preparations

The four-member crew – comprising Bezos, his brother Mark, 18-year-old student Oliver Daemen, and pioneering aviator and Mercury 13 alumna Wally Funk – exited the training center and proceeded to the launch pad in a Rivian R1S electric SUV roughly 45 minutes before liftoff. (Bezos previously utilized a Rivian R1T pickup to reach the rocket’s landing site after a prior test, highlighting Amazon’s considerable investment in the electric vehicle manufacturer.)

The crew ascended the launch tower, briefly pausing in a nearby shelter, before entering the capsule, designated RSS First Step.

Flight Details and Timeline

A brief hold occurred at T-15 minutes, resulting in a slight delay to the launch schedule. New Shepard commenced its ascent at 8:11 CST. The spacecraft surpassed the Kármán line (further explanation to follow) at 8:15 AM.

Capsule separation followed, and the booster executed an autonomous return to the launch site, landing with a resounding boom at 8:19 AM. The crewed capsule descended slowly to Earth utilizing parachutes, achieving touchdown at 8:22 AM, completing an eleven-minute flight.

Extensive Testing and Commercial Space Ventures

This flight was the product of fifteen tests involving the reusable suborbital New Shepard rocket. These included a rehearsal launch in April, simulating flight preparations with a mock crew entering and exiting the capsule prior to actual takeoff. Blue Origin now stands alongside Virgin Galactic as one of a limited number of commercial entities successfully sending private citizens to space.

Crew Member Selection

Oliver Daemen was added to the crew after the original auction winner, who had bid $28 million for the seat, was unable to participate due to a scheduling conflict. CNBC reported that Daemen’s father, the CEO of Somerset Capital Partners, a Dutch private equity firm, submitted the second-highest bid. At 18 years old, Daemen became the youngest individual to ever journey into space, while Funk, at 82, achieved the distinction of being the oldest.

Understanding the Kármán Line

• The Kármán line is an internationally recognized boundary defining the edge of space.
• It is located at an altitude of 100 kilometers (62 miles) above Earth’s sea level.
• This line is used as a working definition for the boundary between the Earth’s atmosphere and outer space.

The Journey to Outer Space

Jeff Bezos established Blue Origin in the year 2000, a period of six years following the inception of his expansive ecommerce enterprise, Amazon. The company’s primary focus is on space tourism, and this particular flight is viewed as the essential demonstration needed to commence transporting paying customers. Consequently, the New Shepard capsule features exceptionally large windows designed for optimal viewing – proclaimed by the company to be the largest ever utilized in spaceflight.

According to the Blue Origin website, “These windows comprise a third of the capsule, providing an immersive experience of the vastness of space and breathtaking views of our planet.”

A Competitive Launch

This launch also represents the conclusion of several weeks of contention between Bezos and Richard Branson, another billionaire involved in space exploration, who participated in his own spaceflight just ten days prior. Despite Branson seemingly achieving the feat first, a significant portion of the debate centered on the definition of “space” itself – and whether Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity actually reached it.

Image Credits: Blue Origin

Defining the Boundary of Space

The disagreement revolves around the Kármán line, a widely accepted, though not formally defined, imaginary demarcation of space. This line indicates the point where the atmosphere becomes too thin for conventional flight. VSS Unity ascended to approximately 51.4 miles, exceeding the boundary recognized by both NASA and the U.S. Air Force.

However, other governing bodies place the line closer to 60 miles. Blue Origin addressed this in a tweet two days before Virgin’s launch, stating, “From the outset, New Shepard was engineered to surpass the Kármán line, ensuring that none of our astronauts have any qualifications attached to their achievement.” The tweet also included a graphic subtly criticizing Virgin’s flights.

Future Plans for Blue Origin

This launch is merely the initial step for Blue Origin. Ariane Cornell, Director of Astronaut Sales, mentioned during a pre-mission briefing on July 18th that she has been “in communication with numerous future customers who have registered for subsequent flights.”

The company plans to conduct two additional launches this year, with CEO Bob Smith anticipating a second crewed New Shepard flight potentially occurring in September or October.

Implications for Space Travel

What impact will this have on the general public? While the current “billionaire space race” may appear trivial, the launches by both Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are likely indicators of a new era in space travel for both consumers and scientists.

Initially, access will be limited to the affluent, but as Alex Wilhelm of TechCrunch suggests, costs will decrease, and more individuals will have the opportunity to travel to space – including scientists, researchers, and potentially even everyday citizens.

For those who were unable to view the event live, the complete launch can be accessed through Blue Origin’s archived livestream here: