Friday, August 30, 2024 Blue Origin marks a milestone in space tourism with a successful flight, featuring the youngest woman to venture to the edge of space. Blue Origin successfully launched another set of six space enthusiasts on a journey to the edge of space and back on Thursday, including a landmark achievement by the youngest woman ever to undertake the journey. The mission, designated NS-26, marked Blue Origin’s eighth human spaceflight.
The company, founded by Jeff Bezos, is steadily advancing in the burgeoning suborbital tourism industry. This flight saw 21-year-old Karsen Kitchen, a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, become the youngest woman to travel beyond the Karman Line. This boundary, at an altitude of 100 kilometers (62 miles) above Earth’s surface, is widely acknowledged as the edge of space.
The mission’s launch utilized Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, which lifted off at 8:00 a.m. local time (1300 GMT) from the company’s Launch Site One in West Texas.
Following the ascent, the capsule, known for its sleek design and ample space, detached from its reusable booster. The booster, designed for a sustainable future, executed a controlled vertical landing. Once past the Karman Line, passengers experienced the stunning sight of Earth’s curvature and enjoyed a brief period of weightlessness, where they could float freely within the capsule.
The return to Earth involved the capsule reentering the atmosphere and deploying parachutes, culminating in a soft desert landing near the launch area. The entire flight typically lasts about 10 to 11 minutes. While Blue Origin has not publicly disclosed ticket prices, it is believed that the cost varies depending on the individual’s profile, financial standing, and the potential promotional value they offer the company.
In a 2021 auction, the first seat was sold for $28 million, yet certain high-profile passengers, such as actor William Shatner, have been invited to fly at no cost. Other passengers have reported paying several hundred thousand dollars for the experience. Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin’s main competitor in the suborbital tourism sector, is currently on a two-year hiatus from commercial flights as it works on enhancing its spacecraft fleet.
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