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Blue Origin

What You Need to Know About Blue Origin’s Launch into Space with Billionaire Jeff Bezos

The countdown has begun for Blue Origin’s first crewed spaceflight. On Tuesday, July 20, 2021, at 9:00A ET, Jeff Bezos and three crewmates are lifting off into space from Blue Origin’s Launch Site near Van Horn, Texas. Watch SPACE LAUNCH LIVE: BLUE ORIGIN & JEFF BEZOS GO TO SPACE on Discovery and Science Channels at 8:00A ET or at washingtonpost.com.

July 19, 2021

The Shepard rocket and capsule will carry four passengers to space and then back to Earth within 11 minutes. It's an automated system which means there will not be a pilot on board. The crew includes Jeff Bezos (the founder of Blue Origin), Mark Bezos (Jeff Bezos’ brother), Mary Wallace “Wally” Funk (a pioneering aviator that trained as one of 13 women associated with the Mercury program), and Oliver Daemon (a college student). After this spaceflight, Funk will be known as the oldest person to have flown in space and Daemon as the youngest.

New Shepard stands at 60 feet tall equipped with fins for aerodynamic stabilization. When it comes time to board the spacecraft on Earth, the crew will need to climb a launch tower in order to reach their seats. Then they will be sitting in a reclined position for over an hour before liftoff.

The space vehicle is set to fly just above the Kármán line, which outlines the edge of space. The astronauts will experience roughly three minutes of weightlessness and out of this world views before parachuting down to Earth in their crew capsule. The rocket will return autonomously and land at the launch site.

This will be the 16th flight for New Shepard, but the first with humans aboard. It is named after the first American to travel to space and Mercury astronaut, Alan Shepard.

The day of the scheduled launch, July 20, holds significance in space history; on this date in 1969, Neil Armstrong first stepped foot onto the lunar surface.

Blue Origin & Jeff Bezos Go To Space

Watch SPACE LAUNCH LIVE on Discovery and Science Channels at 8:00am ET or at washingtonpost.com. That night at 10P ET/PT, 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.

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Liftoff of NASA and SpaceX Crew-2!

The NASA and SpaceX Crew-2 mission launched on Friday, April 23 at 5:49A ET from the NASA Launch Complex 39A. This historic milestone marks the second operational mission of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. Onboard was NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide. After a 23-hour journey, Crew-2 successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on April 24 at 5:08A ET. Here's everything that happened from launch day to the Crew-2's arrival at the ISS. (Updated April 24, 2021)

Countdown to Launch: NASA and SpaceX Crew-2 Mission

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

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.

What to Know About NASA’s Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2

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William Shatner Becomes Oldest Man to Travel to Space After Successful Blue Origin Space Flight

On the morning of October 13, William Shatner joined the crew of New Shepard for its second crewed flight, NS-18. Due to a few holds, the scheduled 10A liftoff was delayed by about 50 minutes from Blue Origin's Launch Site One in Texas. Despite the delays, liftoff and touchdown went off without a hitch, making Star Trek star William Shatner the oldest man to go to space.

Inspiration4: Successful Liftoff and Splashdown for the First Civilian Mission to Space

SpaceX launched four private citizens to space on Wednesday, September 15, at 8:02PM ET. Following their three-day trip around the Earth, the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule successfully splashed down off the coast of Florida Saturday evening. There were no professional astronauts aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Let’s learn more about Inspiration4's journey. Updated Monday, September 20.

William Shatner is going where no 90-year-old has gone before

The Star Trek star will become the oldest person to go to space when he launches aboard a Blue Origin rocket on Wednesday, October 13. Watch live coverage on Space Launch LIVE: Shatner in Space on Discovery and Science Channel starting at 8:30A ET with liftoff scheduled for 10A ET.

The James Webb Space Telescope Launches!

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

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