Blast off

Blue Origin: 9 moments from Jeff Bezos’ historic space launch

A brief but notable trip.

by Jennifer Walter
Blue Origin via YouTube

Blue Origin via YouTube

On Tuesday, billionaire Jeff Bezos and 3 crew members took flight on Blue Origin’s first crewed mission to space.

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It was another historic event for private space travel. Earlier this month, billionaire and Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson launched his first crewed flight onboard VSS Unity.

Here are 9 notable moments from Blue Origin’s launch:
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Blue Origin via YouTube

9. Blast off! New Shepard launched near Van Horn, Texas around 8 a.m. Central time.

Blue Origin via YouTube

8. The rocket gains momentum as it heads to space.

7. This was the moment crew flew past the Kármán line — the internationally recognized boundary of space — before drifting back down to Earth.

Blue Origin via YouTube

Blue Origin via YouTube

6. A view from the spacecraft itself. The crew’s highest point was about 3 miles above the Kármán line.

Blue Origin via Youtube

5. Blue Origin’s rocket, which separated from the capsule carrying the passengers, made a successful landing back on the ground.

4. Parachutes activate as the capsule carrying crew members drifts to the ground.
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3. Touchdown! The capsule lands safely.

Blue Origin via YouTube
2. Here’s a birds-eye-view of the capsule sitting in a field in Texas.

It was a quick journey. Takeoff, until the time the capsule holding New Shepard’s passengers touched the ground, took about 10 minutes and 20 seconds.

Blue Origin via YouTube

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1. Aviator Wally Funk, who was on board with Bezos, officially became the oldest person to go to space at 82 years old. Here’s the moment where she and Bezos stepped out of the capsule.

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