(NEW YORK) — Blue Origin will make history when it sends the first person who uses a wheelchair past the Kármán line, an internationally recognized boundary of space that’s 62 miles above Earth, on its next mission.
On Thursday, a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket will take Michaela ‘Michi’ Benthaus, an aerospace and mechatronics engineer who suffered a spinal cord injury after a mountain biking accident, along with five others, on a journey past the Kármán line. New Shepard rockets are fully reusable spacecraft that Blue Origin says require less maintenance between flights, saving money and reducing waste.
The NS-37 mission will be the 16th human flight for Blue Origin, which has taken 86 people — 80 individuals — above the Kármán line.
Benthaus, who works for the European Space Agency, has dedicated her career to scientific collaboration to advance interplanetary exploration, according to Blue Origin. Since her 2018 accident, she has advocated for greater access to space.
Benthaus flew aboard a Zero-G research flight in 2022 — also known as the “Vomit Comet” — and completed an analog astronaut mission, simulating space activities on Earth. She continues to pursue sporting activities outside of work, including wheelchair tennis, according to Blue Origin.
The other five members of the team include:
Joel Hyde is a physicist and quantitative investor, and a retired hedge fund partner. He resides in Florida with his wife and five children. Blue Origin says his passion for space was ignited in 1988 during a visit to the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center, leading him to earn a Ph.D. in Astrophysics.
Hans Koenigsmann is a German-American aerospace engineer known for his efforts in developing reusable spacecraft and launch vehicles. He spent two decades at SpaceX and remains influential in the aerospace community, serving in advisory roles across different companies, including Blue Origin.
Neal Milch is a business executive and entrepreneur who is currently the Chair of the Board of Trustees at Jackson Laboratory, where he champions genetic research to enhance human health.
Adonis Pouroulis is an entrepreneur and mining engineer with over 30 years of experience in natural resources and energy. He leads several companies, including Pella Resources and Chariot Limited, focusing on innovative energy technologies.
Jason Stansell is a space enthusiast from West Texas with a computer science degree from Tulane University. Blue Origin says his flight is in honor of his brother, Kevin, who passed away from brain cancer in 2016, by dedicating his upcoming flight to him.
Unlike recent orbital missions flown by SpaceX or NASA, New Shepard flights are suborbital, designed for brief human spaceflight experiences that cross the Kármán line before returning to Earth.
During the 10 to 12-minute flight, the group will experience several minutes of microgravity before returning to Earth.
The flight is scheduled to take off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. ET.
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