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News | Oct 13, 2021

Blue Origin successfully and safely completes second human flight to space and back

OCTOBER 13, 10:30 AM CDT / 15:30 UTC 

Blue Origin successfully completed its second human spaceflight on board New Shepard on Wednesday, October 13, 2021. The flight included four astronauts, Dr. Chris Boshuizen, Glen de Vries, Audrey Powers, and William Shatner, as well as thousands of postcards from Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future.

Crew members pose for their official portrait. William and Glen are standing behind Chris and Audrey, who are seated.
The official NS-18 crew portrait. Left to right: Dr. Chris Boshuizen, William Shatner, Audrey Powers, and Glen de Vries (October 10, 2021)

Now official astronauts, the crew was welcomed back from space with a celebration in the West Texas desert with family, friends, and the Blue Origin team.

“At Blue Origin, we are motivated by the dreamers that inspire us and the builders who turn those dreams into reality. Today’s crew represented both dreamers and builders. We had the honor of flying our very own Audrey Powers, Vice President of New Shepard Operations, who fulfilled a lifelong dream to go to space and has been an integral part of building New Shepard. Our two customers, Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries, have built their own successful ventures and have now realized their own dreams of space travel. And, as everyone knows, William Shatner has played an important role in describing and imagining the wonders of universe and inspired many of us to pursue a career in the space industry,” said Bob Smith, CEO Blue Origin. “This flight was another step forward in flying astronauts safely and often. It’s an incredible team and we are just getting started.”

Blue Origin is planning one more crewed flight this year, with several more crewed flights planned for 2022. If you are interested in flying on New Shepard, please visit our website. If you are interested in purchasing a commemorative patch or other merchandise, head to the Blue Origin Shop.

Key Mission Statistics:

  • Crew capsule apogee: 347,539 ft AGL / 351,186 ft MSL (106 km AGL / 107 km MSL)

  • Booster apogee: 347,160 ft AGL / 350,807 ft MSL (106 km AGL / 107 km MSL)

  • Official launch time: 9:49 AM CDT / 14:49 UTC

  • CC Landing Time: 9:59 AM CDT / 14:59 UTC

  • Mission elapsed time: 10 min 17 sec

  • Max ascent velocity: 2,235 mph / 3,597 km/h

You can also watch a full replay of today's flight below.

-Gradatim Ferociter

OCTOBER 12, 12:45 PM CDT / 17:45 UTC

NS-18 remains go for launch tomorrow, October 13 from Launch Site One in West Texas. Liftoff is now targeted for 9:00 am CDT / 14:00 UTC with live coverage beginning at T-90 minutes. The shift in launch target is due to forecasted winds at vehicle rollout. Weather currently looks good for launch.

Today, lead flight director Nick Patrick sat down with Ariane Cornell to provide a status update on the NS-18 mission. Check it out.

New Shepard NS-18 launch now targeted for Wednesday, October 13 due to weather conditions

OCTOBER 10, 11:45 AM CDT / 16:45 UTC

Due to forecasted winds on Tuesday, October 12, Blue Origin’s mission operations team has made the decision to delay the launch of NS-18 and is now targeting Wednesday, October 13. Liftoff from Launch Site One is currently targeted for 8:30 am CDT / 13:30 UTC on Wednesday.

As part of today’s Flight Readiness Review, the mission operations team confirmed the vehicle has met all mission requirements and astronauts began their training today. Weather is the only gating factor for the launch window. Follow @BlueOrigin on Twitter for updates.

-Gradatim Ferociter

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