Blue Origin would not divulge the cost of their tickets. Shatner strapped in alongside Audrey Powers, a Blue Origin vice president and former space station flight controller for NASA, and two paying customers: Chris Boshuizen, a former NASA engineer who co-founded a satellite company, and Glen de Vries of a 3D software company. How extraordinary it is to be part of that beginning,” Shatner said in a Blue Origin video posted on the eve of his flight. “We’re just at the beginning, but how miraculous that beginning is. Last week, the Russians launched an actor and a film director to the International Space Station for a movie-making project. Elon Musk’s SpaceX made its first private voyage in mid-September, though without Musk aboard. Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson led the way by riding into space in his own rocket ship in July, followed by Bezos nine days later on Blue Origin’s first flight with a crew. The flight comes as the space tourism industry finally takes off, with passengers joyriding aboard ships built and operated by some of the richest men in the world. The capsule, New Shepard, was named for first American in space, Alan Shepard. Welcome to Earth!” Bezos said as he opened the hatch and was embraced by Shatner. A jubilant Bezos was there to greet them when the capsule returned, shouting, “WHOOOO!” was racing for the moon, and went on to appear in a string of “Star Trek” movies.īezos himself drove the four to the pad, accompanied them to the platform high above the ground and cranked the hatch shut after they climbed aboard the 60-foot rocket. Shatner starred in TV’s original “Star Trek” from 1966 to 1969, back when the U.S. The blastoff brought priceless star power to Bezos’ spaceship company, given its built-in appeal to baby boomers, celebrity watchers and space enthusiasts.
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