Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos, has successfully sent its first crew into space in nearly two years. This mission comes after a failed uncrewed test flight in 2022 that temporarily grounded passenger flights.
The New Shepard rocket completed its 25th mission into space, marking the seventh time the company has flown tourists into space. The 10-minute flight had six crew members on board, including former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight, who was selected in 1961 by President Kennedy as the first Black astronaut candidate for NASA’s early astronaut corps. Although Dwight was not chosen for the 1963 class, he finally made history as the oldest person in space at 90 years old, surpassing the record set by “Star Trek” actor William Shatner in 2021.
After returning from the short trip to space, Dwight described it as a “life-changing experience.” The other five passengers included four business entrepreneurs from the U.S. and France and a retired accountant. Their ticket prices were not disclosed.
Read more: thehill.com