Blue Origin Successfully Completes Seventh Human Spaceflight with New Shepard's NS-25 Mission

Blue Origin successfully completed its seventh human spaceflight and the 25th flight for the New Shepard program. The astronaut crew included Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Kenneth L. Hess, Carol Schaller, Gopi Thotakura, and former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight, who was selected by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 as the nation’s first Black astronaut candidate but never had the opportunity to fly. With this mission, New Shepard has now flown 37 people into space.

Blue Origin posted a video captioned "Forever changed" on X, showing the crew unbuckling and floating during the mission. In zero gravity, some crew members tossed a hockey puck, others high-fived, and some spun in circles.

The launch, designated mission “NS-25,” marked the successful return to crewed flights for Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle. The launch window opened at 8:30 AM CDT (13:30 UTC), with liftoff occurring at 9:36 AM CDT after a brief delay for additional checkouts. The flight was a success despite the non-deployment of one of the capsule's three parachutes, which fell within the design margin and did not cause any issues.

The New Shepard rocket, created by Blue Origin, is designed for suborbital space tourism and research. Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, its inaugural successful test flight took place on April 29, 2015, followed by its first successful booster landing on November 23, 2015. A significant milestone was reached with the first crewed flight on July 20, 2021, which included Jeff Bezos. Subsequent missions have carried notable passengers like Laura Shepard Churchley and Michael Strahan. The New Shepard system is recognized for its cost-effective and sustainable reusable design, incorporating various safety features such as an emergency escape system. The latest mission, NS-25, launched on May 19, 2024, featured former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight and marked the program's seventh human spaceflight, bringing the total number of individuals flown to space by New Shepard to 37.