Blue Origin announced on April 4 that it will launch its first manned New Shepard spaceflight in over 18 months. The mission will provide a chance for the first Black astronaut candidate in the United States to finally travel to space.
The NS-25 suborbital mission will have a six-person crew, including Ed Dwight. He was an astronaut candidate introduced by the Kennedy administration in 1961 and was the first Black person to be considered. Although he did not get selected by NASA, he graduated from the Air Force’s Aerospace Research Pilot School and later became a sculptor after leaving the Air Force in 1966.
Space for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that sponsors flights for individuals on commercial spacecraft, is sponsoring Dwight's inclusion on NS-25. Dylan Taylor, the founder of Space for Humanity, who flew on New Shepard in 2021, mentioned, “Ed is an industry legend, and his ascension above the Karman Line is long overdue.” on social media.
The Jaison and Jaime Robinson Foundation, whose member Jaison Robinson flew on the NS-21 New Shepard flight in June 2022, is also supporting the flight.
Dwight, who is currently older than actor William Shatner was when he flew on a New Shepard flight in October 2021, is in line to become the oldest person to fly in space. The launch date for NS-25 has not been disclosed by Blue Origin, but the announcement of the crew suggests that the company plans to conduct the flight soon.
The other five individuals flying on NS-25 are Mason Angel, a venture capitalist; Sylvain Chiron, a French businessman and philanthropist; Kenneth L. Hess, a software entrepreneur; Carol Schaller, a retired accountant; and Gopi Thotakura, a pilot and founder of a wellness center.
The NS-25 mission will be the first manned flight of New Shepard since the NS-22 mission in August 2022. A month later, a mission with only cargo had an issue with the engine a minute into the flight, causing the capsule to use its abort system. The capsule landed safely, but the vehicle’s propulsion module was lost.
Blue Origin determined that thermal damage led to structural failure of the engine’s nozzle. The company resumed New Shepard flights with another cargo mission in December 2023, stating its next manned mission would happen “soon.”
