Overview
- Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-37 launched Saturday from West Texas after a two-day delay for technical checks and high winds, carrying six passengers beyond 100 kilometers and returning safely after roughly 10–12 minutes.
- Michaela “Michi” Benthaus, 33, an aerospace and mechatronics engineer affiliated with the European Space Agency who was paralyzed in a 2018 mountain biking accident, became the first wheelchair user to reach space.
- Accommodations included a patient transfer board for boarding, an elevator at the pad, a recovery carpet placed post-landing for immediate wheelchair access, and a leg strap she used during microgravity.
- Retired SpaceX executive Hans Koenigsmann helped arrange and sponsor her seat and flew as her designated emergency helper to assist during egress and, if needed, in flight.
- Benthaus is using the mission to advocate for accessibility in space and to raise funds for the spinal cord research nonprofit Wings for Life.