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6d ago

Blue Origin Safely Flies Six on New Shepard’s NS-38 After Last-Minute Crew Swap

The reusable New Shepard’s 10-minute suborbital flight underscores Blue Origin’s push to increase flight cadence.

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Overview

  • The NS-38 mission lifted off Jan. 22 from Launch Site One in West Texas at 11:25 a.m. ET after a roughly 20-minute range hold for unauthorized personnel.
  • The crew comprised Tim Drexler, Linda Edwards, Alain Fernandez, Alberto Gutiérrez, Jim Hendren and Laura Stiles, who replaced Andrew Yaffe after he withdrew due to illness.
  • The capsule reached about 106 kilometers, crossing the Kármán line, giving passengers a few minutes of microgravity before landing roughly 10–11 minutes after liftoff.
  • The booster executed a powered vertical landing and the capsule touched down under parachutes; Blue Origin reports the program has now flown 98 people to space.
  • Alongside passenger seats, the flight carried research payloads and more than 20,000 Club for the Future postcards, as the company plans additional vehicles to support a move toward approximately weekly flights in the coming years.