Blue Origin, the rocket company started by Jeff Bezos is set to conduct its second crewed suborbital flight Wednesday morning. William Shatner will be joining the party, fittingly for the actor who played Captain Kirk in Star Trek. Here's how to watch the launch.
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Blue Origin Flight NS-18 will take off Wednesday, October 13, at 8:30 a.m. ET (13:30 UTC), from Launch Site One in West Texas. The launch was originally planned for Tuesday but high winds forced the date forward one day.
Blue Origin will make live feeds of the launch available on the Blue Origin website as well as the Blue Origin YouTube Channel. Once the live feed becomes available, we will post it here. The coverage is expected to begin approximately 90 minutes prior to launch.
If all goes according to plan Shatner (90) will be the oldest person to travel to space. Even if it's only for a few seconds. Wally Funk, 82 years old, holds the current record. He set it earlier this year on the same flight that took Jeff Bezos into space. NASA astronaut John Glenn, who was 77 at the time, flew to Space Shuttle orbit at the age of 77. This makes him the oldest astronaut, according to FAA's definition.
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The actor was terrified when it was revealed that Shatner would be joining the NS-18 flight. Shatner spoke to reporters earlier this year, saying he's feeling more comfortable than ever, although he was still nervous about getting in and out of the seats.
Shatner stated that unless you're really flexible, it can be difficult to get in and out of the chairs when youre in gravity. It was designed for us to float out from the seats, in weightlessness.
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After a few minutes of weightlessness Shatner and his crewmates will be able to return to their seats, and then buckle up for re-entry. The capsule will drop with parachute assistance and land in the desert. The entire process will take around 15 minutes.
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NS-18 will be the second crewed flight by New Shephard. Blue Origin sent Jeff Bezos (the company founder) and three others to space beyond the Krmn Line, the threshold for space, on July 20. According to the International Aeronautical Federation, this was a successful flight. Shatner will fly at an altitude of approximately 66 miles (106km), and be joined by Chris Boshuizen (a former NASA engineer, co-founder and Planet Labs), Glen de Vries (Vice-chair of life sciences at French software company Dassault Systmes), and Audrey Powers (Blue Origins vice president for mission and flight operations, a former NASA flight controller).
The Shatner flight serves as a distraction for Bezos. Blue Origin was recently accused by the FAA of encouraging sexism in the workplace and pushing employees beyond their limits. An FAA investigation has now been launched into claims that Blue Origin favors rapid deployment over safety. Blue Origin is also involved in a legal dispute with NASA regarding a contract for a lunar lander that it believes was unfairly awarded SpaceX.
