Watch Blue Origin launch its fifth passenger flight to the edge of space - The Verge

On June 4th, Blue Origin will launch a crew of six passengers to the edge of space and back on the company’s New Shepard rocket — the fifth crewed flight for the company.

Saturday morning, aerospace company Blue Origin is slated to conduct its fifth tourist flight, sending a crew of six to the edge of space and back out of West Texas. Once again, it’s a flight without any major celebrities on board, as the company transitions into making these quick jaunts to space relatively routine.

The flight, called NS-21, comes just two months after Blue Origin’s last tourist trip on March 31st. That mission sent up five paying customers and one company employee — the first time no big names flew. The Blue Origin employee was actually a last-minute replacement for comedian and actor Pete Davidson, who was originally slated to fly but had to drop out due to scheduling issues when the mission was delayed. Prior to that flight, Blue Origin made a point to have at least one celebrity on board its flights, including GMA anchor Michael Strahan, Star Trek star William Shatner, legendary aviator Wally Funk, and, famously, the company’s founder, Jeff Bezos.

There are no household names on this flight, but there are a few notable flyers on this trip. Evan Dick, an engineer and investor, is becoming Blue Origin’s first repeat flyer, having already flown to space on the company’s third crewed mission. And Katya Echazarreta, a STEM communicator and YouTube host, will become the first Mexican-born woman to fly to space. Her seat on the flight is sponsored by Space for Humanity, a nonprofit that aims to expand “access to space for all of humanity” by funding tickets on Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic flights for those who might not otherwise be able to afford them.

Victor Correa Hespanha is also benefitting from a sponsored flight, this one from a group called the Crypto Space Agency. The group of crypto enthusiasts bill themselves as a space agency for “Crypto Nation” and are funding space-related projects by selling NFTs. The first NFT drop offered a chance to fly to space, and Hespanha was randomly selected to take the first flight. The CSA plans to buy more tickets to space for members, “seek first contact with extra-terrestrial intelligence,” and “protect the planet from catastrophic asteroid impacts.”

Also on the flight are Hamish Harding, a jet pilot and chairman of his own business jet brokerage, and Jaison Robinson, an investor, adventurer, and former contestant on the reality TV show, Survivor: Samoa. Lastly there’s Victor Vescovo, who co-founded his own private equity firm and who has dived to the deepest point in the ocean up to 12 times and summited the highest point on each of the seven continents.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/4/23153052/blue-origin-new-shepard-launch-ns-21-watch-live

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