11 minutes with a window view of Earth: What to know about Blue Origin spaceflights

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Blue Origin's famed New Shepard launch vehicle is on the cusp of ferrying its next crew of celebrities and notable people to the edge of space, where its passengers will have a front-row seat of Earth from more than 60 miles high.

The commercial spaceflights are ones billionaire Jeff Bezos's space technology company has been offering since 2021, ever since the Amazon founder himself boarded the spacecraft for its maiden crewed voyage. The upcoming flight is also the first in nearly four years with veritable household names that this time includes pop artist Katy Perry and "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King.

The spacecraft that Perry, King and four other women are set to fly aboard as early as Monday morning is the same one that 52 others have ridden to space on 10 previous human spaceflights. Joining them is civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn and Lauren Sánchez, an Emmy-winning journalist and fiancé of Bezos.

The New Shepard, composed of both a rocket and crew capsule, will blast off at supersonic speeds after it lifts off from Blue Origin's private ranch facility in west Texas, taking the notable all-women crew high above Earth's atmosphere.

For nearly four years since its first crewed spaceflight, New Shepard has served as a poignant symbol of Blue Origin's commercial spaceflight ambitions amid a growing space tourism industry. Bezos' company is increasingly becoming a major player in the commercial space arena, competing with the likes of Elon Musk's SpaceX for NASA's business, as well as the business of other private companies.

Here's everything to know about the New Shepard rocket that will be at the center of what is sure to be a headline-grabbing flight.

Blue Origin launch: Gayle King, Katy Perry among crew of all women launching to space

What is the New Shepard spacecraft?

Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, the gum drop-shaped New Shepard launch vehicle is designed to be fully reusable, with a capsule that returns to Earth via three parachutes. The rocket itself is powered by one BE-3PM engine, which propels it to suborbit before restarting to slow the booster to just 6 mph for a controlled landing back on the launch pad.

The spacecraft operates autonomously – meaning no pilots are aboard – after taking off from the company's Launch Site One in rural west Texas, more than 140 miles east of El Paso.

But New Shepard doesn't just take celebrities on joy rides to the edge of space. In fact the majority of spaceflights Blue Origin has conducted to date with New Shepard haven't even had a crew.

Blue Origin has launched the New Shepard plenty of times with scientific payloads and other cargo on board from paying customers, including NASA.

For instance, in early February, New Shepard successfully simulated the moon's low gravity on board its capsule during a brief flight. On board was cargo belonging to NASA, which helped fund the mission as the U.S. space agency prepares to send humans back to the moon in the years ahead under its Artemis campaign.

How long will the crew be in space? Here's what happens on a Blue Origin spaceflight

The New Shepard's crew capsule can hold up to six people for a brief voyage above the Kármán Line – the 62-mile-high internationally recognized boundary of space.

Each spaceflight lasts about 11 minutes from liftoff to capsule touchdown, allowing passengers to experience a few minutes of weightlessness while in microgravity. The capsule also comes outfitted with large windows for them to enjoy the stunning view of Earth.

During each launch, the rocket reaches initial speeds exceeding 2,000 mph – much faster than the speed of sound – before the booster separates within a few minutes of takeoff. As the booster lands, firing its engines and using its fins to slow and control its descent, the capsule continues its journey for a few additional minutes.

Once the capsule makes a parachute-assisted landing in a remote area, a Blue Origin team is deployed to recover the spacecraft and pick up its passengers.

When did Blue Origin begin New Shepard launches?

Bezos joined the spacecraft's first crewed flight in 2021 as part of the NS-16 mission, which came after New Shepard flew on 15 flights tests beginning in 2012.

With the vehicle's latest crewed flight Feb. 25, 10 of Blue Origin's 30 missions have now carried people to the edge of space. A total of 52 people have flown on the New Shepard, including four repeat passengers.

However, the launch vehicle's spaceflights were paused for nearly two years when the rocket was grounded in September 2022 following a failed mission without a crew on board.

Despite the mishap, Blue Origin officials have insisted that the capsule is designed to safely abort a spaceflight by ejecting from the rocket and deploying parachutes early if needed – as happened in 2022. The rocket itself crashed back to Earth during the flight with no reported injuries or damage.

Blue Origin spaceflights with human aboard then resumed in May 2024 after the Federal Aviation Administration closed its investigation and ordered the company to make 21 corrective actions.

What other notable people have flown on Blue Origin launches?

Passengers on Blue Origin's New Shepard have hailed from a variety of backgrounds, and have included tech executives, entrepreneurs, scientists and even a few well-known celebrities.

In 2021, both "Star Trek" actor William Shatner and NFL legend Michael Strahan boarded the New Shepard on separate flights.

Shatner, who was 90 at the time, embarked on his voyage Oct. 13 that year, becoming the oldest person to ever make a spaceflight. He was joined by former NASA engineer Chris Boshuizen, a Blue Origin vice president Audrey Powers and entrepreneur Glen de Vries.

When the crew safely landed back on Earth several minutes later, Shatner could be heard saying the experience was "unlike anything they described."

Strahan's spaceflight then came toward the end of 2021 on Dec. 11, when he flew with a crew that included Laura Shepard Churchley, Alan Shepard's daughter. Also on the flight were tech CEO Dylan Taylor, investor Evan Dick, venture capitalist Lane Bess and his child, Cameron Bess.

After the flight, Strahan took to Instagram to say "it was surreal."

Blue Origin also developing massive New Glenn rocket

Blue Origin also is developing its massive New Glenn rocket, which launched in January on its maiden flight.

The 320-foot-tall heavy-lift launch vehicle, which launched without a crew on Jan. 16 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, is meant to challenge SpaceX in regularly deploying satellites and other cargo into orbit.

Named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, New Glenn rivals SpaceX's 400-foot Starship in size. Its first stage, powered by seven Blue Origin engines known as BE-4, is designed to be reusable for 25 missions.

(This story has been updated to correct a misspelling/typo.)

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for Paste BN. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com