Blue Origin Completes NS-38 Suborbital Flight with Six Passengers from Texas
Blue Origin conducted its NS-38 mission, transporting six passengers on a suborbital flight beyond Earth's atmosphere. The launch occurred from the company's Texas site at 17:25 CET, following a minor delay due to unauthorized personnel in the security area.
This marks the 38th flight of the New Shepard system and the 17th with humans aboard. Passengers included Tim Drexler, Linda Edwards, Alain Fernandez, Alberto Gutiérrez, Jim Hendren, and Laura Stiles, the latter replacing Andrew Yaffe last minute due to health issues.
During the flight, they experienced microgravity and observed the Earth's curvature, with the capsule reaching an altitude of approximately 106.7 km, surpassing the Kármán line. The rocket returned with a controlled landing just over 7 minutes after takeoff, followed by the capsule descending with parachutes. With this mission, Blue Origin has now flown 98 individuals into space, showcasing the progression of commercial space tourism.
