Blue Origin launched six passengers into suborbital space on Friday aboard its New Shepard rocket, marking the vehicle’s 12th crewed mission and its 64th person flown. According to Space News, the rocket lifted off from West Texas and reached an altitude of approximately 65 miles before returning safely after 10 minutes. Passengers included individuals from Panama, New Zealand, Canada, and the U.S. Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said New Shepard serves both commercial demand and as a valuable test platform for technologies supporting the company’s New Glenn rocket and upcoming Blue Moon lunar lander. He reaffirmed Blue Origin’s commitment to New Shepard, calling it “a good business” and a critical testbed for avionics and lidar systems.
