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Blue Origin Concludes NS-33 Flight, Marking Third Crewed Launch in Three Months

The mission demonstrated New Shepard’s reusability with precise booster and capsule recoveries following weather postponements during an accelerated launch cadence.

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Overview

  • Six paying passengers completed an approximately 11-minute suborbital journey to about 100 km on June 29 after multiple high-wind and cloud-cover delays.
  • Passengers included Allie and Carl Kuehner, a married conservationist–real estate executive duo, and Owolabi Salis, the first Nigerian-born person in space.
  • New Shepard’s booster performed a powered vertical landing and the capsule touched down under parachutes within a few hundred meters, underscoring precise recovery operations.
  • This flight was Blue Origin’s third crewed New Shepard mission since April and its 13th overall, reflecting a stepped-up cadence since resuming crewed launches in May 2024.
  • Blue Origin’s high-frequency, fully reusable suborbital service is reinforcing its position alongside Virgin Galactic and SpaceX in the burgeoning space tourism market.