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Watch Blue Origin Blast Off to the Edge of Space on Its First Human Flight

On July 20th, Blue Origin launched its first crewed mission to the edge of space on its New Shepard rocket. Abroad were billionaire founder Jeff Bezos and his brother Mark. They were joined by 18-year-old Oliver Daemen and 82-year-old aviation legend Wally Funk — who just became the youngest and oldest people to ever go to space.
New Shepard has taken off into a historic journey with its first passengers on board 11 photos
Photo: Blue Origin via Youtube
Blue Origin's crew is riding in a Rivian electric truck to the launch siteBlue Origin's crew is riding in a Rivian electric truck to the launch siteNew Shepard rocket is getting ready for take offNew Shepard rocket is headed to the edge of spaceNew Shepard rocket is headed to the edge of spaceThe rocket booster has landed back at Blue Origin's Launch Site One in West TexasJeff Bezos, his brother Mark, aviation legend Wally Funk and Oliver Daemen are in the capsule after a safe touchdownJeff Bezos, his brother Mark, aviation legend Wally FunkAviation legend Wally FunkNew Shepard rocket is headed to the edge of space
The mission comes just a few days after Virgin Galatic opened the space "gates" to commercial space flights. Blue Origin's crew was taken on a two-mile trip (3 km) in a Rivian R1S SUV to Blue Origin's Launch Site One in West Texas.

Shortly after arrival, the astronauts have climbed the tower and prepared to enter into the NewShepard crew capsule. After ringing the ceremonial bell, the four passengers were ready to go on the historic flight.

The rocket took off at 9 a.m. EDT. Not even a minute in, New Shepard has reached Max-Q, and astronauts experienced a real rocket ride to space. The flight lasts approximately 11 minutes in total, from launch, entry, and capsule landing.

Astronauts will experience about three to four minutes of zero-G and travel above the Kármán Line, the internationally recognized boundary of space, which is located 62 miles (100 km) high up.

This flight will be a little bit higher up than the one of Virgin Galactic, which, on July 11th, has reached 50 miles (80 kilometers) high.

For Wally Funk, this is a dream come true as she was supposed to go to space 60 years ago with NASA's "Mercury 13" program, but she never got the chance. Now, she has finally flew past our skies.

At 9:22 a.m. EDT, the capsule safely touched down. Blue Origin's recovery team is headed out to meet Jeff, Mark, Wally, and Oliver and take them back with the Rivians for a celebration to mark their return from space. The company has set two more passenger flights this year, with more planned for next year.

You can watch the historic flight on the company's official channel. Live coverage was hosted by Ariane Cornell, Head of Astronaut Strategy and Sales at Blue Origin, and Gary Lai, Blue Shepard's Architect.

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About the author: Florina Spînu
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Florina taught herself how to drive in a Daewoo Tico (a rebadged Suzuki Alto kei car) but her first "real car" was a VW Golf. When she’s not writing about cars, drones or aircraft, Florina likes to read anything related to space exploration and take pictures in the middle of nature.
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