A Florida resident will soar beyond the confines of Earth's atmosphere when Blue Origin's next human spaceflight gets off the ground.
Jeff Bezos' commercial spaceflight company has announced the names of the next group of space tourists who will board Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicle in West Texas for a short trip more than 60 miles above Earth. Among those six passengers is a man who lives in Florida with his family, according to Blue origin.
The upcoming launch would be Blue Origin's first crewed New Shepard spaceflight in more than two months, and sixth since the company made headlines in April when pop star Katy Perry and broadcast journalist Gayle King joined four others on an all-women spaceflight.
The impending trip also comes on the heels of Blue Origin's latest launch of its massive New Glenn rocket on an uncrewed mission from Florida.
Here's everything to know about Blue Origin's next New Shepard mission, known as NS-37 – the vehicle's 16th human spaceflight and 37th overall.
When is the next Blue Origin rocket launch?
Blue Origin has not yet officially announced a target date for liftoff as of Thursday, Dec. 4. However, in the past Blue Origin has typically revealed the crews of New Shepard missions within about a week of a planned launch.
Where are Blue Origin launches?
Blue Origin New Shepard rocket launches take place from the company's private ranch facility known as Launch Site One in Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Who is the crew of the next Blue Origin mission? Florida resident among 6
When the New Shepard gets off the ground again, the six people selected to board it will join 80 others who have flown on the spacecraft across 15 previous human spaceflights, including six repeat passengers.
Among them is Joey Hyde, a physicist and investor who retired from leading a hedge fund who lives in Florida with his wife and five children.
"His grandparents ignited his fascination with space when they brought him to watch the 1988 launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis, which sparked a lifelong curiosity in human spaceflight and exploration," Blue Origin said in a Wednesday, Dec. 3, press release. "Joey sees his flight with Blue Origin as a continuation of his commitment to advancing science and inspiring future generations of explorers."
Here's a look at the other five passengers of a mission known as NS-37:
Does Jeff Bezos own Blue Origin? Does Bezos live in Florida?
Billionaire Jeff Bezos, best known for founding Amazon, founded the private space technology company Blue Origin in 2000. Headquartered in Washington state, Blue Origin conducts tests and launches of its small New Shepard spacecraft from West Texas.
Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos, who also rode on an April New Shepard spaceflight, own property in the exclusive community of Indian Creek Village, known as Billionaire Bunker, near Miami Beach, Florida.
What is New Shepard?
New Shepard is Blue Origin's reusable suborbital rocket that the company primarily uses to transport crews of up to six people on short trips to the edge of space.
Bezos even boarded Blue Origin's New Shepard for its maiden crewed voyage in July 2021, which came after the spacecraft flew on 15 flight tests beginning in 2012.
What is New Glenn? Rocket launches from Florida's Space Coast
The smaller, suborbital New Shepard vehicle is not to be confused with Blue Origin's towering orbital New Glenn rocket that has now launched twice from Florida in 2025.
The 322-foot spacecraft, one of the largest active rockets in the world, last got off the ground Nov. 13 from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on a mission to propel twin NASA ESCAPADE satellites on a voyage to Mars' orbit. The launch took place at Launch Complex 36, a site Blue Origin invested $1 billion to rebuild.
While New Shepard is designed for quick trips to space, New Glenn is indicative of Blue Origin's aim to compete with billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX – whose fleet of Falcon rockets dominates the commercial space industry.
What happens during a New Shepard rocket launch?
Each spaceflight on a New Shepard vehicle lasts about 11 minutes from liftoff to capsule touchdown.
Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, the 60-foot-tall New Shepard rocket is topped with the gum drop-shaped crew capsule. The spacecraft operates completely autonomously, meaning no pilots are aboard.
During its ascent, the spacecraft reaches supersonic speeds surpassing 2,000 mph before the rocket booster separates from the crew capsule. At that point, the capsule becomes weightless as the spacecraft continues toward its highest point on its brief voyage above the Ka?rma?n Line – the 62-mile-high internationally recognized boundary of space.
If it's a mission with people on board, the passengers will at this time experience a few minutes of microgravity after they unstrap themselves from their seats to gaze out the capsule’s large windows and take in a stunning view of Earth.
Meanwhile, the rocket booster heads back to the ground while firing its engines and using its fins to slow and control its descent to land vertical about two miles from the launchpad.
The capsule itself eventually begins what Blue Origin refers to as a "stable freefall” – plummeting back to Earth as three massive parachutes deploy and the capsule makes a soft landing in the desert, sending up plumes of dust.
Contributing: Jennifer Sangalang, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]
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