Blue Origin is back in the space tourism business! They launched their New Shepard rocket again on May 19th, carrying six people on a short trip to space. This was their first passenger flight since August 2022.
The launch was a big deal for one of the passengers, Ed Dwight. Back in 1961, he almost became an astronaut but wasn’t chosen in the end. This trip to space was a chance for him to finally fulfill that dream, even though it wasn’t quite an astronaut mission.
The rest of the crew were paying customers, including a businessman, a brewery owner, and a software entrepreneur. They all got to experience a few minutes of weightlessness during the trip.
Everything seemed to be going well until they came back down to Earth. One of the three parachutes on the capsule didn’t open all the way! But luckily, the capsule was designed to land safely with just one parachute, so everyone on board was okay.
Blue Origin isn’t saying how this parachute problem might affect their future flights, but they are still moving forward with their plans to launch a bigger, more powerful rocket later this year.
