VAN HORN, TEXAS - JULY 20:  The New Shepard Blue Origin rocket lifts-off from the launch pad carrying Jeff Bezos along with his brother Mark Bezos, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, and 82-year-old Wally Funk prepare to launch on July 20, 2021 in Van Horn, Texas. Mr. Bezos and the crew are riding in the first human spaceflight for the company.   (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

VAN HORN, TEXAS - JULY 20: The New Shepard Blue Origin rocket lifts-off from the launch pad carrying Jeff Bezos along with his brother Mark Bezos, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, and 82-year-old Wally Funk prepare to launch on July 20, 2021 in Van Horn, Texas. Mr. Bezos and the crew are riding in the first human spaceflight for the company. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Photo by: Joe Raedle

Joe Raedle

Blue Origin's First Crewed Spaceflight Has Successful Liftoff and Landing

By: Discovery

This morning, on July 20, 2021, Blue Origin's first crewed spaceflight was a success! Congrats to Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos and three crewmates, who lifted off into space from Blue Origin’s Launch Site near Van Horn, Texas. Here's the play-by-play of the New Shepard's approximitely 10 minute flight from launch to capsule landing, which looked picture perfect.

July 20, 2021

After years of meticulous planning, Blue Origin's first crewed spaceflight took off from a site in West Texas on Tuesday morning. This crew, included Blue Origin founder and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Jeff's brother Mark Bezos, pioneering female pilot Mary Wallace “Wally” Funk, and college student Oliver Daemon. With this successful spaceflight, Funk (82) is now the oldest person to have flown in space and Daemon (18) the youngest.

VAN HORN, TEXAS - JULY 20: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY â MANDATORY CREDIT - "BLUE ORIGIN / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Jeff Bezos along with his brother Mark Bezos, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, and 82-year-old Wally Funk leave Blue Originâs New Shepard crew capsule after landing on July 20, 2021 in Van Horn, Texas. Mr. Bezos and the crew rode in the first human spaceflight for the company. (Photo by Blue Origin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

VAN HORN, TEXAS - JULY 20: Jeff Bezos along with his brother Mark Bezos, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, and 82-year-old Wally Funk leave Blue Originâs New Shepard crew capsule after landing on July 20, 2021 in Van Horn, Texas. Mr. Bezos and the crew rode in the first human spaceflight for the company.

Photo by: Anadolu Agency

Anadolu Agency

Congrats to Blue Origin and Jeff Bezos on this huge feat for commerical space flight. Today marks the first time in history that a commercial company launched a privately funded and built spacecraft from a private launch range with astronauts on board. This milestone helps inspire the next generation and open the doors of future space exploration for scientists, researchers, and everyday people who dream of traveling to space but aren't your traditional astronauts.

Here's how the events played out from launch to capsule landing.


Photos of Blue Origin's Journey to Space

Want more on the Blue Origin launch mission? At 10P ET tonight, Discovery will air a 1 hour special, JEFF BEZOS IN SPACE: BLUE ORIGIN TAKES FLIGHT, highlighting the morning’s event, along with interviews from after the launch, behind-the-scenes material, and background stories of Blue Origins and Jeff Bezos.

Follow Discovery on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter for the latest updates and join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #SpaceLaunchLive.

Next Up

The James Webb Space Telescope Launches!

Finally! It was initially proposed way back in 1998 and named the James Webb Space Telescope in 2002. After a decade of delays and over 10 billion dollars past its original budget, NASA’s next great observatory finally launched from the European Space Agency’s Guiana Space Centre in South America.

SNL’s Pete Davidson No Longer Flying to Space on Blue Origin’s 4th Human Flight

Along with 5 paying customers, it was announced that Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson was joining the crew Blue Origin’s NS-20 Mission on Wednesday, March 23rd. As of last night, Blue Origin announced the date of the flight has moved to Tuesday March 29 and "Pete Davidson is no longer able to join the NS-20 crew on this mission."(This article was updated March 18)

Axiom Lifts Off with the First Fully Private Crewed Mission to Space

Axiom Mission 1 blasted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center today, setting the standard for commercial space travel with a first-of-its-kind mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

25 Years In the Making, the James Webb Telescope Is Coming to Science Channel

The world’s most powerful observatory - the James Webb Space Telescope – is set for launch later this month after more than 25 years of development and construction. Science Channel, the leader of all things space, will take viewers inside this incredible feat of technology and its launch with two specials airing Tuesday, December 21 at 10 PM ET/PT with a Post-Launch Special to air Sunday, December 26 at 10 PM ET/PT.

We Have Liftoff! NASA/SpaceX Crew-3 Mission is En Route to the ISS

Congrats on a successful liftoff for NASA/SpaceX's Crew-3 Dragon propelled by the Falcon-9 rocket on Wednesday, November 11 at 9:04 PM ET.As this crew makes their way to the International Space Station, NASA will be observing the dragon capsule closely all the way to docking at 7:10 PM ET.

Quiz: Test Your Space Exploration Knowledge

Ahead of the historic May 27th NASA and SpaceX crewed space launch, test your space exploration knowledge!

Here Comes Artemis I (Rescheduled, again)

NASA's long-awaited Artemis 1 uncrewed moon mission and next generation of spacecraft has been delayed for a second time. The rocket was initially scheduled to launch on Aug. 29, 2022, at 8:33 AM ET, but was delayed due to an issue with the engine bleed. Watch Space Launch Live: Artemis-1 on Science Channel to see the moment of liftoff. (Launch Date Pending) (Updated Sept 7, 11:00AM)

3 Awesome Launches to Look Forward to This Year

2021 was a pretty exciting year for spaceflight. We had a bunch of private rocket launches and the initiation of a new era in space tourism. We had the launch of DART, a mission where NASA will use a spacecraft to punch an asteroid in the face. And at the last moment, we had liftoff for the much-delayed and long-awaited James Webb Space Telescope.

NASA Has a New Supersonic Jet and It’s Super-Quiet

There’s more to NASA than space. The agency’s full acronym stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I’ve covered plenty of interesting stories in the space sector, so it’s time to the aeronautics side some love too.

This All-Civilian Space Mission Wants to Achieve the Highest Human Orbit Ever

Last year marked a fascinating turning point in the history of spaceflight. For the first time ever, more civilians went into space than professional ones. The private companies Virgin Galactic, Blue Origins, and SpaceX all offer seats for sale, with missions as brief as just a few minutes to as long as a few days.

Related To: